Many populations of threatened mammals persist outside formally protected areas, and their
survival depends on the willingness of communities to coexist with them. An understanding of the attitudes,
and specifically the tolerance, of individuals and communities and the factors that determine these is therefore
fundamental to designing strategies to alleviate human-wildlife conflict. We conducted a meta-analysis to
identify factors that affected attitudes toward 4 groups of terrestrial mammals. Elephants (65%) elicited
the most positive attitudes, followed by primates (55%), ungulates (53%), and carnivores (44%). Urban
residents presented the most positive attitudes (80%), followed by commercial farmers (51%) and communal
farmers (26%). A tolerance to damage index showed that human tolerance of ungulates and primates was
proportional to the probability of experiencing damage while elephants elicited tolerance levels higher than
anticipated and carnivores elicited tolerance levels lower than anticipated. Contrary to conventional wisdom,
experiencing damage was not always the dominant factor determining attitudes. Communal farmers had
a lower probability of being positive toward carnivores irrespective of probability of experiencing damage,
while commercial farmers and urban residents were more likely to be positive toward carnivores irrespective
of damage. Urban residents were more likely to be positive toward ungulates, elephants, and primates when
probability of damage was low, but not when it was high. Commercial and communal farmers had a
higher probability of being positive toward ungulates, primates, and elephants irrespective of probability of
experiencing damage. Taxonomic bias may therefore be important. Identifying the distinct factors explaining
these attitudes and the specific contexts in which they operate, inclusive of the species causing damage, will
be essential for prioritizing conservation investments.