Abstract
The benefits of participatory science (PS) engagement for participants are not equally distributed. Currently, people who identify as white, highly educated, and wealthy largely constitute contributory PS projects, and little is known about what motivates or impedes participation of people from underrepresented groups. We investigated how Project FeederWatch (PFW), a PS project focused on people who feed and watch birds, could be made more inclusive for people identifying as 1) Black, Indigenous, or a person of color and/or 2) disabled and/or neurodivergent using focus groups of people who already feed birds but do not currently participate in PFW. We explored how PFW could better align with people’s existing interests and address perceived systemic barriers to participation. The motivations and barriers that attendees identified reflected their associations with PS as a whole. Attendees indicated that PFW already matched their interests and had several accessible aspects. However, attendees noted substantial systemic barriers to participation, including the participation fee, economic barriers, accessibility barriers, and a pervasive lack of belonging. Attendees suggested that PFW could be more inclusive by addressing these barriers, improving accessibility, and further supporting participant interests. Based on our research, we share recommendations for designing both inclusive focus groups and inclusive PS projects. These findings have relevance for other projects seeking to distribute the benefits of PS to all.