Large carnivores are threatened by various factors, one of the crucial being public acceptance. Researching attitudes and knowledge has become a central goal of conservation biology, with a significant impact attributed to education. This research focused on the evaluation of knowledge and attitudes toward large carnivores among the targeted general public and students. Besides, factors that influence attitude formation and the amount of knowledge were analyzed. In the form of self-reports, we obtained information on attitudes, and through knowledge tests, we evaluated the impact of knowledge on the attitudes of 2218 participants. Knowledge and education level have the greatest impact on zoo visitors’ conservation beliefs. The first was associated with positive and negative beliefs, and the latter mitigated the opposing beliefs. Gender also proved to be an important factor of influence. Students showed positive attitudes in general, but their knowledge of wolves was lacking. Type of education influenced both attitudes and knowledge, while gender affected only students’ attitudes. Interest in learning was influenced by study year, gender, and the hunter in the family. Seeing wolf in nature correlated with less pronounced fear and consequently higher acceptance of the species. In the case of wolves, a positive contribution of all teaching methods was detected, with the student-centered out-of-school workshop having the greatest impact. Knowledge significantly shaped students’ attitudes towards bears, while gender and direct experience affected knowledge and attitudes. The impact of instructions was related to the amount of knowledge, but not the general change in attitudes toward bears.
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