SGER Collaborative Research: Who's to Blame? Public Perceptions of the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina

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This project submitted under the Small Grants for Exploratory Research (SGER) program investigates how the citizens use media interpretations of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina to help them develop a framework with which to attribute blame and interpret policy relevant information. By examining three different frameworks, the researchers will study how these lead to different interpretations of the effectiveness of the government's response to this crisis. In addition, this project will allow the researchers to examine how these frameworks shape citizens' preferences for future policies such as the role of FEMA, the role of national, state, and local government in disaster response, etc.This research is being conducted by prominent researchers at Florida State University and the University of New Mexico through a national phone survey using the facilities at Texas Tech University. With respect to the second review criterion of the National Science Foundation, broader applicability to societal needs, the research gathers fundamental data on how different frameworks impact citizens' interpretations of natural disasters and governmental responses to the same. Accordingly, it addresses the larger question of citizens' views of the capacity and effectiveness of the government to deal with crisis. The results should be applicable to a wide variety of crises including natural disasters, acts of terrorism, and technological disasters.