Dragonflies and damselflies are attractive due to their colours and ability to fly. People have mostly positive attitudes toward them and they are potential Flagspecies to promote conservation of wetlands. However, little is known about knowledge and attitudes towards them. We used a survey questionnaire that collected demographic data, contained a test of knowledge and a 7-point Likert scale to rate their attitudes toward dragonflies and willingless to protect them. The survey involved 288 Slovenian High School students, from the 1st to the 3rd year. The results showed poor knowledge of dragonflies and very poor knowledge of their larvae. Girls have less knowledge than boys, their living environment and the school year have no influence on knowledge of the dragonflies. 63.3 % of students have some misconceptions about dragonflies. They belive that they imply their toxicity with colors, they can bite, and stay only in the vicinity of snakes (as is insinuated by the slovenian name for the group). Attitudes of students toward dragonflies are positive, except in the scientific category. Their living environment has no affect on their attitude. More positive attitudes were observed in students who already had a direct experience with the animals. Students with more knowledge have a more positive attitude, a greater interest in learning, they are also more prepared to protect dragonflies and they are more aware about their important role in the ecosystem.
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