Social science is showing us that the old model of communication no longer works. Gone are the days when coastal resource managers could share thoughtful and credible science and information and expect the public to make the “right” decisions.
We humans are complex and much goes into our decision-making process—past experiences, emotions, and personal values and attitudes. This is particularly true when we make choices concerning personal risks, such as flooding from sea level rise, increasing intensity of coastal storms, or many of the other impacts coastal areas will experience as a result of climate change.
Providing reliable data and information is still part of the communication process, but social science tools—such as focus groups and surveys—must be used to better understand the concerns, knowledge, motivations, and decision-making processes of targeted populations. Only then can managers find out what information targeted groups need, in what format they should receive it, from whom they will trust the message, and what their constraints are to action.
In this edition of Coastal Services, we look at a two-year effort by the Oregon and Maine Sea Grant programs to use social science to develop and test a model of public outreach about climate change.
These two very different states with significantly different anticipated climate change impacts are both getting an in-depth understanding of targeted groups to help move communities forward in climate change adaptation efforts. What they are learning about using social science to improve climate change communication could benefit coastal managers across the country.
The NOAA Coastal Services Center is also working to provide coastal managers with social science information and tools they can use to help improve risk communication.
For instance, the Coastal County Snapshots tool provides local officials with a quick look at a county’s demographics, infrastructure, and environment within the flood zone. Available on the Digital Coast website at www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/tools/snapshots/, one of the primary intents of these snapshots is to address vulnerabilities associated with individual coastal counties.
As always, NOAA and the Coastal Services Center are working hard to bring the tools, technology, and information that coastal managers need in these changing times.
-- Margaret A. Davidson
