Information dissemination-diffusion and marine protected area approval in the Philippines

• We segmented fishers by exposure to information dissemination on coastal policy.
• We also segmented fishers by their municipality of residence.
• MPA approval depends on municipality and exposure to information dissemination.
• Local governance style influenced the effectiveness of coastal policy communication.
• Views of excluded fishers should be considered in information dissemination studies.

This article examined fishers' support for marine protected areas (MPAs) resulting from information dissemination (i.e., government-to-citizen communication) and diffusion (i.e., citizen-to-citizen communication) processes on coastal policy. We surveyed fishers (N = 505) in three municipalities (i.e., Oslob, Santander, Samboan) in Southern Cebu, Philippines. Two independent variables were examined. The first was municipality, where different local governance arrangements influence coastal policy communication. Second, a K-means cluster analysis identified segments of fishers based on whether and how they were informed about coastal policies in their municipality. The dependent variables were: (a) the perceived effect of the MPAs on fishers' livelihoods, (b) approval of specific MPA policies, and (c) general approval of the MPAs. Two-way ANOVAs resulted in significant interaction effects between the independent variables and highlighted the combined influence of local governance and information dissemination/diffusion on fishers' approval of MPAs. Fishers informed through information dissemination reported a significantly higher approval of their MPA(s) than did fishers informed through information diffusion or those who were not exposed to government-initiated communication. The influence of information dissemination on MPA approval may justify the time and resources required to engage fishers through direct communication. The cluster analysis helped reveal citizen-to-citizen dynamics that impact the effectiveness of coastal policy communications.