ConcernedCautious 1 David Anderson Matthew Anderson Alison Baur

Concerned/Cautious #1 David Anderson Matthew Anderson Alison Baur Hannah Faulkner Dan Massello Laura Harvey Teal Waterstrat g. CORE Fall 2011 Evergreen MES

Who we are and where we fit in Concerned/Cautious #2 Concerned #2 Alarmed #1 Cautious/Disengaged/Doubtful/Dismissive Concerned #1 Concerned/Cautious #1 Alarmed #2 By Carri Le. Roy

Introduction to the Six Americas • • • Concerned and Cautions make up greatest portion of American attitudes Foggy area between concerned and cautious Impressions from interview did not always match categorization according to survey results

Keywords and Themes Large amount of individual diversity in responses, but commonalties were present Keywords Themes • Outdoors • Local mountains • Glaciers • Weather • Complex/complicated • TV • Internet • Long term • • Many participants long term residents of PNW Acknowledge climate change is occurring Doubting level of anthropogenic influence Distrust of media Mixed trust in science Climate too complex to understand Personal experience shapes opinion Government seen as : -helpful for education -problematic if too much regulation

Interviewee Responses Negative Outlook Positive Outlook Experiences in the outdoors Pertinence of Anthropogenic Role Mixed Outlook Not Applicable 5 1 1 2 4 1 Proficiency of Personal Knowledge 2 2 3 Accuracy of Media Coverage 3 2 1 1 Accuracy of Scientific Research 2 1 3 Effectiveness of Government Response 2 1 5

Concerned-Cautious 1 – Compiled Wordle WORDLE PLACE HOLDER

Outdoors/Nature/Recreation 6 out of 7 subjects were very active in the outdoors through work and recreation • Mountains • Ocean/Puget Sound • River rafting • Sailing • Kayaking • Hiking • Bicycling • Forestry • Gardening

Perception of Changes in Climate • 6 out of 7 subjects noted some change in the climate/weather during their time in the Pacific Northwest • Less extreme winters and summers • Harder rains • Wetter summers • Receding glaciers, less snow/ice • Shorter logging season

Anthropogenic Climate Change Beliefs • • 1 out of 7 believe that the major changes to the climate are mostly human caused 5 out of 7 believe that a portion is caused by humans (with the rest being natural fluctuation) 0 out of 7 believe its entirely natural 1 out of 7 did not voice an opinion Wasn’t Me DUDE!

Knowledge of climate change • • 5 out of 7 subjects do not go out of their way to research climate change 1 out of 7 subjects doubts their knowledge of climate to be accurate, and perceives information sources to be inaccurate 4 out of 7 subjects have confidence in their GCC knowledge, but perceive common information sources to be inaccurate 2 out of 7 would be interested in climate change if it directly affected them

Trust in Media • • Friends (3 of 7) General distrust in media (3 out of 7) • Magazines (2 of 7) Distrust in certain • Television (2 of 7) media (1 out of 7) • Internet (2 of 7) General trust in media • Newspaper (1 of 7) (2 out of 7) • Journals (2 of 7)

Trust in Science • 4 out of 7 voiced at least some distrust of science • 2 out of 7 did not mention perceptions of science • 1 of 7 trusted the Scientific Community • 1 of 7 showed concern that data can be manipulated • 1 of 7 showed concern that scientific methods are inappropriate for climate studies • 1 of 7 showed concern about extreme viewpoints in science

Government action 3 of 7 believe if government action is taken, it should not be radical • 1 of 7 believe community leaders should help plan for any sort of disaster, not just something like climate change • 2 of 7 believe community leaders should do more to educate public on GCC • 5 of 7 believe government action will be received poorly by public • 2 of 7 believe government action should not infringe on the subject's way of life or finances •

Bias in Questions 11 and 12 presuppose that subjects believe in climate change, and that the government and community leaders should be doing something about it. "11. Could instituting government policy have an impact on climate change? " "12. Do you believe community leaders are helping their communites prepare for climate change? " Future research should consider alterative questions that allow respondents to provide answers in line with their beliefs.

Conclusions • While subjects might believe that climate change is happening, the threat is not viewed as immediate. • Most subjects do not fully trust science or the media for information on climate change • Some subjects noted preoccupation with their personal lives • Opinion and personal experience are more influential than climate change media/info

A Very Big Thanks To: The Evergreen State College Judy Cushing Martha Henderson Carrie Leroy The Six Americas Unnamed Interviewees (n = 7) Kirsten Jeremy Littell Wordle, Moodle, Doodle, and Google (really! These people make millions) Uncopyrighed Images on the Internet The MES incoming class support group