Public risk salience of sea level rise in Louisiana, United States
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2021
Abstract
Understanding public perceptions of sea level rise (SLR) is essential for effective risk communication in coastal areas. Using cross-sectional data from a representative survey of 1042 Louisiana residents, we measured the role of sociodemographic factors (age, gender, education, income, race, and political affiliation), contextual factors (distance to coast, geographic vulnerability, perceived extreme weather, home ownership, and presence of children in the household), media measures (local television, local newspaper, and satisfaction with media coverage), and perceived causes of coastal land loss (natural erosion from waves, hurricane activity, oil and gas industry activity, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers activity) on SLR risk salience. Ordinal logistic analysis showed perceived extreme weather and geographic vulnerability to be strong and positive predictors of SLR risk salience. Implications for risk communication are discussed.
Publication Source (Journal or Book title)
Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences
First Page
523
Last Page
536
Recommended Citation
Altinay, Z., Rittmeyer, E., Morris, L., & Reams, M. (2021). Public risk salience of sea level rise in Louisiana, United States. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 11 (4), 523-536. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-020-00642-5