Doctoral Dissertation Research in DRMS: Global Climate Change: Risk Perceptions and Behavior

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This project will investigate the roles of affective imagery and culturalworldviews in risk perception, decision-making and behavior, using globalclimate change as a case study. Past research has focused on the role ofcognitive factors like knowledge, mental models and general environmentalbeliefs in risk perceptions of climate change. Recent research, however, hasalso begun to focus on the role of affective factors. This project willdevelop and test affective image analysis as an innovative method to studypublic risk perceptions along both cognitive and affective dimensions.Additionally, cultural theorists argue that cultural worldviews are alsoimportant factors and need to be included as explanatory variables. Thisproject will operationalize and test the predictions of cultural theory.Finally, many researchers assume that risk perceptions and behaviorscorrelate, yet little focused research has been done. This research willtest this assumption, using climate change as a case study.This project also addresses several applied questions: Does the Americanpublic perceive global climate change as a serious risk? What specificallydo they fear about it? Do these risk perceptions translate into personalactions and/or support for mitigation policies? This research willcontribute to the continuing discussion on global climate change, asscientists and policymakers attempt to find scientifically appropriate andpublicly acceptable solutions to this global problem.