Survey data on citizens' perceptions of avian and their ecosystem services in Zhoushan

Birds are important indicators of biodiversity and providers of ecosystem services, particularly in urbanizing coastal regions. However, there is limited information on public awareness of avian ecosystem services and disservices in China. This article presents a dataset derived from a structured, face-to-face questionnaire survey conducted among residents of Zhoushan, a rapidly developing island city. The questionnaire covered six major sections: sociodemographic information, frequency of engagement in nature-related activities, bird species visibility and knowledge, perceptions of avian ecosystem services and disservices, nature connectedness, and conservation attitudes. Data were collected between April and July 2024 from 1,500 respondents across four districts, of which 1,430 valid responses were retained after data cleaning. The dataset provides detailed information on multiple dimensions of public perceptions of birds and their ecological roles and is suitable for descriptive statistics as well as advanced inferential analyses, such as regression and structural equation modeling.