Relationships among Environmental Attitudes, Risk Perceptions, and Coping Behavior: A Case Study of Four Environmentally Sensitive Townships in Yunlin County, Taiwan

Abstract

Climate change issues have attracted much attention in recent years. To date, the related research has focused mostly on the national and regional impacts of climate change. Taiwan, an island state, has relatively high vulnerability to the consequences of climate change, and its western coastal areas are particularly vulnerable. Yunlin County, with 13 townships that are all prone to flooding, will be highly affected by climate change. In this study, the 13 townships are grouped into four categories of synthesized vulnerability and ecological footprint (EF): “low synthesized vulnerability/low EF” (Linnei), “high synthesized vulnerability/low EF” (Sihu), “low synthesized vulnerability/high EF” (Mailiao), and “high synthesized vulnerability/high EF” (Huwei). Ecological footprint was used to measure the human demand for resources and ecological services, as well as a way to understand the relationships among human living habits, consumption patterns, and natural capital consumption. Then, the relationships among attitudes to climate change, risk perceptions, and coping behavioral intentions in these four categories were examined using structural equation models (SEM). A stratified random sampling method was used to collect 582 valid questionnaires. In addition to descriptive statistical analyses, the results of the SEMs for the four sensitivity categories indicate that different townships exhibit different causal relationships among attitudes to climate change, risk perceptions, and behavioral intentions. These findings can support appropriate strategies for governments, communities, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) for ensuring that areas of various sensitivities can cope. However, more vulnerable townships exhibit no significant positive relationship between attitudes to and knowledge of climate change, place attachment, and their adaptation behavioral intentions in the face of disaster risk perceptions. Therefore, in areas with high vulnerability, special attention should be paid to making the residents improve their adaptive behavioral intentions in the face of disaster risk perceptions.

Public risk perception and coping response to COVID-19 is moderated by positive emotions: Evidence from Chinese college students

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“…An expansive body of research has investigated public risk perception and coping response [10,11]. While much of this research has been published in the sociology literature, a remarkable number of publications have also appeared in the psychology literature.…”

Does Risk Awareness of COVID-19 Affect Visits to National Parks? Analyzing the Tourist Decision-Making Process Using the Theory of Planned Behavior

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“…Prior studies that have expanded the theory of planned behavior to explain the tourist decision-making process [ 24 , 26 , 73 ] have shown a positive (+) causal relationship between risk perception and risk reduction behavior. Others have conducted experiments on the process of risk reduction behavior using psychological variables such as attitudes formed by risk [ 21 , 33 , 74 , 75 ]. The above studies suggest that COVID-19 risk perception and coping behavior are important variables for expansion of the theory of planned behavior.…”

Long-Term GIS Analysis of Seaside Impacts Associated to Infrastructures and Urbanization and Spatial Correlation with Coastal Vulnerability in a Mediterranean Area

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