A Theoretically Grounded, Behaviour-Science-Informed Model for Understanding Citizen Biosecurity Reporting

Citizen reporting of biosecurity threats is an important yet inconsistently practiced element of environmental surveillance. This study examines the behavioural factors shaping reporting in Aotearoa New Zealand by conceptualising reporting as a multi-step process influenced by psychological, social, and structural conditions. Drawing on behavioural science, we apply the Capability, Opportunity, Motivation-Behaviour model alongside audience segmentation to identify barriers and drivers of reporting using a national survey of 957 New Zealand adults. Latent profile analysis identified four distinct behavioural segments-Engaged Reporters, Reluctant Reporters, Willing but Unaware and Disconnected Non-reporters-characterised by differing levels of capability, opportunity and motivation. While public awareness of the importance of biosecurity has grown, personal engagement in surveillance activities remains comparatively limited. These findings suggest that constraints to reporting arise from a combination of informational, motivational and structural factors, which vary across population groups. Rather than prescribing specific interventions, the study provides a behavioural diagnostic that can inform the development of more targeted and context-sensitive engagement strategies. Importantly, the effectiveness of citizen reporting depends not only on individual behaviour but also on the capacity and responsiveness of the systems that receive and act on reports. As such, efforts to enhance reporting should consider both citizen engagement and system-level design. By integrating behavioural theory with audience segmentation, this study contributes to a more nuanced understanding of citizen participation in biosecurity and highlights the importance of aligning behavioural insights with practical and institutional considerations. Future research should evaluate the effectiveness of intervention strategies and examine how reporting behaviours translate into biosecurity outcomes in real-world contexts.