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

本项目将以全球气候变化为例，探讨情感意象和文化世界观在风险认知、决策和行为中的作用。过去的研究集中在认知因素的作用，如知识，心理模型和一般的环境信念在气候变化的风险感知。然而，最近的研究也开始关注情感因素的作用。这个项目将发展和测试情感意象分析作为一种创新的方法来研究公众的风险认知，沿着认知和情感两个维度。此外，文化理论家认为，文化世界观也是重要的因素，需要作为解释变量。最后，许多研究人员认为风险认知和行为之间存在关联，但很少有针对性的研究。本研究将以气候变化为案例来验证这一假设。本项目还提出了几个应用问题：美国公众是否认为全球气候变化是一个严重的风险？他们具体害怕什么？这些风险认知是否转化为个人行动和/或对缓解政策的支持？ 这项研究将有助于对全球气候变化的持续讨论，科学家和政策制定者试图找到科学上合适的和公众可接受的解决方案来解决这个全球性问题。

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.