CAREER: Location-Aware Social Science for Adaptation: Modeling Dynamic Patterns in Public Perceptions and Behavior

Utah State University, Logan UT

Investigators

Abstract

This research project will investigate geographic patterns of public behavior, perceptions, and attitudes about climate adaptation. The project will advance scientific methods needed to take social data gathered in larger units and apply them to make the data usable at subnational levels in order to measure public responses at geographic scales relevant to decision making. Project insights will be provided to improve decision making about societal adaptation to risks created by environmental variability and change. A publicly accessible, interactive, online mapping and data tool will provide local decision-relevant information to the public, educators, and policy makers across the U.S. and promote public geographic literacy and education. The educational agenda of this project will strengthen the talent pool in science, technology engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines through mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students, course development, research, participation in K-12 educational activities, and public outreach activities that integrate science, art, and geographic education. The integrated research and educational activities will advance scientific understanding about adaptation strategies to reduce the negative impacts of environmental risks. Adaptation to environmental risk involves decision making by individuals and other stakeholders from the local to national levels. The investigator undertaking this research project will collect survey data regarding public perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors relevant to climate adaptation at the national level, and he will use these data for building and validating models and visualization tools. He will develop models that integrate both dynamic changes in public perceptions over time and spatial relationships across individuals. These new methods will facilitate study of the drivers of changes in public risk perceptions and behaviors related to adaptation and provide relevant data to local decision makers. The investigator will develop a publicly accessible, web-based, risk- and adaptation-decision observatory tool to facilitate the visualization, mapping, and communication of the modeled outcomes to the public and decision makers. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.