From the Inside Out: Environmental Agency Views about Communications with the Public

Abstract

Relatively few studies have examined risk communication with the public from the viewpoint of the staff of institutions attempting such communications. This paper reports results of interviews with managers and staff of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, on their programs' current and ideal communications with the public. Q analysis revealed two orthogonal perspectives on current program communications, the Enthused and the Constrained views. The primary focus of their divergence was on the matter of commitment and support for such communications. The Enthused group felt that they had attitudinal support from program culture and managers; the Constrained group focused on the lack of concrete operational support in terms of time, money, and expertise. These differences between the two groups did not appear to be associated with gender, managerial status, education, communication training, or organizational unit. When ideal program communications were discussed, the focus was on the need for all kinds of commitment and support (i.e., culture, managers, time, money, building expertise through training), as well as on more proactive and responsive communication. Both perspectives agreed that communication with the public is essential to their programs' success, trying new ways to communicate is worthwhile, scientific bases for decisions are not compromised by communication, and communication is not delegated to specialists. While varying ideas were held of the public's capacity and interest in communication, citizens were largely not held responsible for communication problems.

Using the CAUSE Model to Understand Public Communication about Water Risks: Perspectives from Texas Groundwater District Officials on Drought and Availability

“…However, practical constraints may limit the extent of risk communication programming organizations may engage. Research has considered institutional barriers that may limit risk communication, including limited resources to collect risk data and make it available to interested parties, and a lack of personnel, time, and financial resources . Risk managers and staff agree that public communication is an essential function for successful risk management programs .…”

“…Research has considered institutional barriers that may limit risk communication, including limited resources to collect risk data and make it available to interested parties, and a lack of personnel, time, and financial resources . Risk managers and staff agree that public communication is an essential function for successful risk management programs . Indeed, those officials who feel constrained regarding their role in risk communication practice note the lack of resources in time, money, expertise, and personnel that it takes for effective communication .…”

“…Risk managers and staff agree that public communication is an essential function for successful risk management programs . Indeed, those officials who feel constrained regarding their role in risk communication practice note the lack of resources in time, money, expertise, and personnel that it takes for effective communication . Research also documents the reciprocal relationship between risk management and risk communication; some scholarship advocates a decentralization of risk communication within organizations such that the communication function is a role in which everyone in the organization participates .…”

Modellers' and Outreach Professionals' Views on the Role of Models in Watershed Management

“…Others felt that uncertainty information was the kiss of death in an adversarial political system in which people need simple answers. Future research on the need to present uncertainty information – and how to present it in a way that increases understanding rather than confusion – might usefully build on past research in the field of risk communication (Johnson and Chess, ; Wiedemann et al ., ; Frewer et al ., ., Johnson, ; Miles and Frewer, ; Johnson and Slovic, ; Renn et al ., ).…”

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“…Bier (2001) reviewed several empirical studies and inferred positive and negative lessons learned. There are many obstacles to effective risk communication, including some external and internal barriers inside a governmental agency or ministry (such as inadequate resources, lack of time, special interests or internal politics) (Johnson and Chess, 2006). (2001) tried to measure the evolution of risk perception due to information people obtain from the media.…”