national baseline study of public perceptions of the ......• increase public awareness and...

Preliminary Results

National Baseline Study of Public Perceptions of the Arctic

Baseline Study of College Student

Perceptions of the Arctic ��

��

Studies conducted for the

Northwest Passage Project

• Increase public awareness and understanding of the changing Arctic and Arctic research

• Extend capacity of ISE institutions to connect with Arctic scientists

• Increase the ISE field’s understanding of the learning process when the public is engaged in live interactions with scientists

Northwest Passage Project Goals

• Research expedition • Live broadcasts from the Arctic to ISE institutions • Production of two-hour documentary • Daily highlight videos • Webinar series • Documentary Screening Events • Comprehensive Project Evaluation

Northwest Passage Project Activities

• Water mass properties and circulation in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago

• Microscopic communities in transition

• GHG fluxes

• Distributions of marine life

Northwest Passage Project Research

Method • Online questionnaire sent to a national sample of households across all four U.S. geographic regions (NE, So, Midwest, West). • Four screening techniques used to “weed out” respondents, deleting 200 of the 920 respondents • Final sample of 720 respondents fairly represented the four geographic areas per the 2015 U.S. census proportions & included a mix of ages, education levels, incomes, and ethnic/racial diversity.

Method • Online questionnaire to four U.S. regions • 720 respondents deemed viable from the 920 completed surveys

National Baseline Study of Public Perceptions of the Arctic

Sample

Gender: 44% men, 56% women

Ages: Millennials 2 (1990-98) 15% Millennials 1 (1980-89) 24% Generation X (1966-79) 23% Generation Jones (1955-65) 20% Baby Boomer (1946-54) 1 1% WWII era (1915-1945 8%

Household Composition: Adults only 57% Family with children (<18) 43%

National Baseline Study of Public Perceptions of the Arctic �

Characteristics: • 39% college graduates • 57% w/incomes <$50,000 • 33% visited a museum 3-6+ times in last 2 years • 72% used social media in the last week • 23% follow science on social media �

Key Findings

The Arctic, Northwest Passage, and ocean expeditions are not in the everyday consciousness of the American public.

• 42% medium to high interest in the Arctic

• 46% medium to high interest in ocean exploration and research

• 32% medium to high interest in maritime history

• 37% think they can explain the Northwest Passage

• 39% think they can explain sea ice

• 59% are not aware that the NWP is a shipping route above the Arctic Circle


Key Findings

Interest in science and attitudes about science and scientists are fairly positive. • 63% have high or medium interest in science

• 79% agree that scientific data have important benefits to society

• 71% agree that public funding for scientific research is well worth it

• 67% agree that politicians need to listen when scientists say that our fossil fuel use is hurting the planet


Key Findings

Familiarity with Arctic related concepts

Never Heard, but Could Know a heard of it can’t explain explain good amount

Climate change 3% 23% 47% 27% Glacier 5% 19% 54% 22% Arctic Circle 9% 37% 41% 14% Sea ice 27% 36% 28% 9% Ice core 36% 32% 24% 8% NW Passage 26% 37% 29% 8% AUV 34% 37% 23% 6% Inuit 42% 27% 23% 8% Beluga whale 17% 33% 40% 10%


Key Findings

Awareness of Arctic related concepts

� � � � � I doubt Maybe, but Heard Know a this is true I didn’t know about this fair amount

Arctic is warming faster than 11% 27% 46% 16% other places Polar bears are starving due to 11% 36% 38% 15% less sea ice Arctic has large reserves of oil 8% 42% 38% 13% and minerals NW Passage connects Atlantic 9% 50% 32% 9% and Pacific Ocean Shipping activity has greatly 10% 55% 27% 8% increased due to melting ice


Key Findings

There are believers and skeptics about the causes of climate change, but most people seem to realize that it is happening. • 88% - climate change is happening now

• 56% - climate change is caused mostly by human activity

• 28% - climate change is a natural cycle

• 4% - climate change is due to human and natural causes

• 4% - climate change is primarily a theory and isn’t really happening

• 8 % - haven’t thought about it


Key Findings

What would you like to find out about the status of Arctic life and the environment? 22% - effects of climate change/how fast is ice melting 21% - wildlife 12% - life in extreme conditions 4% - local people 4% - science, facts, data 3% - scenery, environment 3% - actions to protect the environment 2% - global impacts


Key Findings

Topics/ideas that might represent “hooks” that will appeal to the public are not limited to a couple of key ideas.

In open ended answers, respondents suggested nine different topics or features with a threshold of at least 10%.

• Top three interests were learning about the effects of climate change, Arctic scenery, and scientific data.

• Top two questions they’d like a TV movie to address (from a list) were how is wildlife in the Arctic being affected by climate change and how does the changing Arctic affect people who don’t live there.


Key Findings

Public Misconceptions

• “Have all the polar bears drowned yet?”

• “I just want to know the TRUTH about the melting of the polar ice caps. I just am not convinced.”

• “I would like to know how much the Arctic is really changing...not from someone pushing an agenda.”

• “…there is nothing man can do to affect climate. Climate change isn't anything more than a socialist fraud instituted by a bunch of leftist dressed in green.”

• Why in the world people think that global warming is a thing, there is no scientific proof


Key Findings • The majority of respondents support research in a general intellectual sense, but won’t necessarily have the appropriate knowledge to grasp what measurements are being taken, or why, or what they mean.

• Due to relatively weak public interest in the Arctic, there will be challenges in attracting audiences to view Arctic content and challenges in helping them understand the scientific value of the Arctic research.

• The public’s belief in the value of science is an important foundation for engagement and learning.


Baseline Study of Student Perceptions of the Arctic

Method • Online survey of 67 college students at five U.S. Minority Serving Institutions • Sample represents both students who applied to participate in the Northwest Passage Project and peers. �


Method

• Online survey

• Five U.S. Minority Serving Institutions


Sample

• 72% female, 28% male

• 52% from U/U populations

• 8% Freshmen, 21% Sophomores, 55% Juniors, 16% Seniors

• 75% rated likelihood of pursuing STEM career as ‘highly likely’


Key Findings • Students highly science-oriented in terms of their activities, their school subject interests, and their career goals

• Compared to the general public, students are much more familiar with the terms and concepts relating to the Arctic and Northwest Passage.

• Students are more concerned about climate change than the general public; many could be considered climate change ambassadors

• Students expressed confidence in their ability to handle challenges

• Students have a strong science identity

�


Key Findings

• 100% believe that climate change is happening now • 87% say it is mostly caused by human activity (compared with 56% of the general public)

• Students are very interested in learning more about how climate change is affecting the Arctic, and they understand the importance of doing research in the Arctic • Students believe that it is important to educate the public about climate change

�

Baseline Study of Student Perceptions of the Arctic �

Key Findings


Never Heard, but Could Know a heard of it can’t explain explain good amount

Climate change 0% (3%) 0% (23%) 24% (47%) 76% (27%) Glacier 2% (5%) 6% (19%) 43% (54%) 49% (22%) Arctic Circle 2% (9%) 16% (37%) 52% (41%) 31% (14%) Sea ice 2% (27%) 8% (36%) 44% (28%) 46% (9%) Ice core 7% (36%) 14% (32%) 53% (24%) 56% (8%) NW Passage 3% (26%) 18% (37%) 41% (29%) 38% (8%) AUV 19% (34%) 24% (37%) 40% (23%) 17% (6%) Inuit 13% (42%) 26% (27%) 42% (23%) 19% (8%) Beluga whale 2% (17%) 24% (33%) 52% (40%) 22% (10%)



Public Students

Climate Change

Glacier

Sea Ice

Arctic Circle

NW Passage

Ice Core

Beluga Whale

Inuit

AUV

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � 0 50 100%


Awareness of Arctic related concepts

Public Students

Arctic is warming faster than other places

NWP connects Pacific & Atlantic

Polar bears are starving due to loss of ice

Arctic has large oil & mineral reserves

Shipping in the NWP has increased

NWP is in Canadian waters

� � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � ��


What kinds of science and technology activities do you imagine would be happening on an expedition to the Arctic?

41% ice core sampling 33% observe or count animal populations 21% test salinity of water 13% measure water currents/flow 11% measure atmospheric greenhouse gases 10% measure ice thickness, glacial melt 10% analyze nutrients or plankton levels in water 10% test water quality, pollution 10% interview the native people

Thank You

Photo: Ken Burton

national baseline study of public perceptions of the ......• increase public awareness and...

Documents