Sophia Neiblum
Live Poster Session: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/98840443455
Sophia Neiblum
I am a senior undergraduate student at Wesleyan University majoring in Biology with a minor in Environmental Studies. I am interested in pursuing marine conservation biology and ornithology, and I am eager to develop my data analysis skills for research in the field and in graduate school. QAC 201 has provided an in-depth introduction to applied data analysis and coding.
Abstract: Extreme weather, air pollution, and water pollution are threats that are projected to increase and intensify due to climate change. Because these adverse environmental impacts can be intense personal experiences, it has been hypothesized that these experiences are correlated to greater environmental advocacy participation. This study utilized data from the 2021 General Social Survey (GSS) to analyze the relationship between experience of extreme weather/pollution and environmental advocacy across age brackets. This relationship was found to be positive and significant in nearly all cases. After controlling for the moderator variable of age bracket (18-50 years and >50 years), the relationship was positive and significant in all cases. These findings indicate that experience of extreme weather/pollution is positively associated with environmental advocacy, and younger people are less likely to participate in environmental advocacy than older people except when they have experienced multiple adverse environmental impacts. While further research is needed to study the timeline of when environmental advocacy begins, these findings can be used by environmental advocacy groups to inform their messaging and campaigns.
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