Doctoral Dissertation Research: An Investigation of Individual and Group Attitudes Toward Water Resources in Portland, Oregon

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

Evidence from recent surveys suggests that although urban residents support water resource protection as a general principle, significant opposition exists to specific water resource protection measures. Such disconnects between general and specific attitudes, including those expressed through behavior, are common and often are explained by poor measurement techniques or overly simplistic theories, such as utilitarianism and the politics of self-interest. Alternative theories allow for multiple rationalities and view the attitude-behavior split as evidence of complex cognitive and decision-making processes. The attitudinal and decision-making literature developed by geographers, social psychologists, sociologists, anthropologists, economists, political scientists, and other scholars provides the theoretical context for this doctoral dissertation research project, which will be conducted in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. The project will investigate the degree of attitudinal divergence among urban residents, and it will aim to provide explanations for varying environmental attitudes. The attitudes of residents who do and do not participate in place-based groups like watershed councils and neighborhood associations will be examined, because the frequent involvement of such groups in environmental decision-making raises questions about the extent to which the views of participants represent those of the general public. The project will address two primary sets of research questions: (1) To what extent is there a divergence between urban residents' abstract (general) and concrete (specific) support for water resource protection? If so, what factors explain this divergence? (2) To what degree do the views of watershed- and neighborhood-based organizations correspond with those of the people they are thought to represent? If the views held by place-based group participants differ from those of non-participants, what factors contribute to attitudinal differences? To address these questions, semi-structured interviews are being conducted and a scientific survey will be implemented using the Dillman survey method in order to systematically collect information on residents' water-related attitudes and behavior as well as information about socio-demographic and other explanatory factors. The results of this research will inform natural resource planning and management in the Portland area and elsewhere through improved understanding of urban residents' attitudes toward water resource protection. The project also will provide new insights regarding the degree to which the attitudes of place-based groups are representative of the individuals they are thought to serve. Knowledge of environmental attitudes and behavior is critical to developing and implementing effective natural resource policies that are responsive to public values and concerns, an important objective in a democratic society. This research will advance scientific and practical understanding of the complex factors that underlie environmental attitudes and behavior as well as public involvement strategies that rely on established, geographically defined groups. As a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this award also will provide support to enable a promising student to establish a strong independent research career.