Cloudy with a Chance of Conservation: How Perception Shapes Conservation Behavior

Gamble, Taylor J.

Cloudy with a Chance of Conservation: How Perception Shapes Conservation Behavior

dc.contributor.advisor	Gerlinger, Julie
dc.contributor.author	Gamble, Taylor J.
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Burns, Tom
dc.contributor.committeeMember	Garneau, Chris
dc.date.accessioned	2024-05-02T18:33:35Z
dc.date.available	2024-05-02T18:33:35Z
dc.date.issued	2024-05-10
dc.date.manuscript	2024-04
dc.description.abstract	With disruptive natural events such as hurricanes, flooding, and drought-based wildfires affecting ecosystems and human communities more frequently than ever, environmental conservation is a critical issue now and going forward. In this study, I assert that individual perceptions of natural events, weather, and local climate are linked to differing attitudes and behavior related to conservation. Using the complementing interdisciplinary theories of social construction of space, construal-level theory, and social capital theory, I investigate the relationship between individual weather perception and environmental conservation behavior independent of common social, political, and ideological variables. Results from poisson regression models using data from the Oklahoma Center for Risk and Crisis Management’s 2018 national survey “Weather Society and Government” demonstrate a clear positive relationship between the perception of disruptive natural events and conservation actions. Furthermore, results show that social capital is an important moderator in this relationship. Specifically, the relationship between weather perception and conservation behavior is more pronounced for those with higher reported social capital. This study underscores the importance of environmental perceptions and social connections in predicting individual conservation behaviors.	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/11244/340273
dc.language	en_US	en_US
dc.subject	Conservation Behavior	en_US
dc.subject	Weather and Climate	en_US
dc.subject	Social Construction	en_US
dc.subject	Environmental Conservation	en_US
dc.thesis.degree	Master of Arts	en_US
dc.title	Cloudy with a Chance of Conservation: How Perception Shapes Conservation Behavior	en_US
ou.group	Dodge Family College of Arts and Sciences::Department of Sociology	en_US