Public Perception of Blue-Algae Bloom Risk in Hongze Lake of China |
| |
Authors: | Lei Huang Kai Sun Jie Ban Jun Bi |
| |
Institution: | (1) State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control & Resource Reuse, School of Environment, Nanjing University, 210093 Nanjing, People’s Republic of China |
| |
Abstract: | In this work we characterize the public perception of one kind of ecological risk—blue-algae bloom in Hongze Lake, China,
based on the psychometric paradigm method. In the first survey of May 2008, 300 respondents of Sihong County adjacent to Hongze
Lake were investigated, with a total of 156 questionnaires returned. Then in a second survey of July 2008, 500 respondents
from the same research area were investigated, with 318 questionnaires collected. This research firstly attempted to explore
the local respondents’ degree of concern regarding ecological changes to Hongze Lake in the last ten years. Secondly, to explore
the public perception of blue-algae bloom compared to three typical kinds of hazards including earthquake, nuclear power and
public traffic. T-test was used to examine the difference of risk perception in these four hazards over time. The third part
of this research, with demographic analysis and nonparametric statistical test, predicted the different groups of respondents’
willingness to accept (WTA) risk of blue-algae bloom in two surveys. Using multiple linear regression analysis, the risk perception
model explained 28.3% of variance in the WTA blue-algae bloom risk. The variables of Knowledge, Social effect, Benefit, Controllability
and Trust in government were significantly correlated with WTA, which implied that these variables were the main influencing
factors explaining the respondents’ willingness to accept risk. The results would help the Chinese government to comprehend
the public’s risk perception of the lake ecosystem, inducing well designed communication of risks with public and making effective
mitigation policies to improve people’s rational risk judgment. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|