Place attachment, climate change, and threat perceptions of Utah Wilderness

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Publication Type honors thesis
School or College College of Social & Behavioral Science
Department Political Science
Faculty Mentor Juliet Carlisle
Creator Benfield, Kaylara
Title Place attachment, climate change, and threat perceptions of Utah Wilderness
Date 2022
Description Place Attachment is the emotional and functional relationships that tie humans to natural environments. It has been shown to impact a person's ability to perceive threats significantly. This study compares the varying levels of Place Attachment with individual knowledge associated with the negative impacts of Climate Change. This study tested three hypotheses to investigate the relationships between individual levels of place attachment and awareness of current climate risks. Using an online questionnaire distributed to individuals (N= 110) associated with the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, we found significant relationships between Place Attachment styles and personal perceptions of Climate Change. These findings suggest that as individuals develop stronger attachment levels, they display more knowledge of climate threats impacting Utah wilderness areas. Climate-related threats will continue to increase, and understanding the possible relationship between individuals and place can serve as a motivational factor to induce change.
Type Text
Publisher University of Utah
Subject Place attachment; climate change; wilderness; Utah
Language eng
Rights Management (c) Kaylara Benfield
Format Medium application/pdf
Permissions Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6hpxdqh
ARK ark:/87278/s6gx4dy6
Setname ir_htoa
ID 2003822
Reference URL https://collections.lib.utah.edu/ark:/87278/s6gx4dy6
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