Record Details
Climate change adaptation: Information needs, concerns, and behavioral intentions among Oregon Coast professionals
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | Climate change adaptation: Information needs, concerns, and behavioral intentions among Oregon Coast professionals |
| Names |
Borberg, Jenna
(creator) Harte, Michael (advisor) Cone, Joe (advisor) |
| Date Issued | 2010-02-04T23:52:46Z (iso8601) |
| Note | Graduation date: 2010 |
| Abstract | The social and economic impacts of climate change on the Oregon Coast may be reduced if coastal managers begin planning now to put in place adaptation measures. Oregon Sea Grant conducted a web-based survey of Oregon coastal professionals to target climate change adaptation outreach and engagement efforts toward this audience. The following variables were examined in this research: climate change information needs, subjective norms about climate change, perceptions of climate change risk, feelings of responsibility to respond to climate change, and behavioral intentions to adapt to climate change. Relationships among these variables were investigated using an ordinary least squares regression path analysis. While coastal professionals are highly concerned about effects of climate change and feel responsible to mitigate and adapt to effects, they have low amounts of information on the climate change topics they consider important for the performance of their work. Coastal professionals who have more information on climate change have lower perceptions of risk and lower feelings of responsibility to adapt to climate change, possibly because greater information suggests that climate change is less of an issue. Perceptions of risk and feelings of responsibility were found to positively influence behavioral intentions to adapt to climate change, explaining one third of intentions. The low level of information on important climate change topics among coastal professionals indicates a need to engage them on issues of concern. Follow up focus group meetings and interviews could provide insight into the negative relationship between information and perceptions of risk, and feelings of responsibility for adapting to climate change; and an improved understanding of the drivers of behavioral intentions to adapt. |
| Genre | Research Paper |
| Topic | climate change adaptation |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/14275 |
