Date of Award
Fall 12-2012
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Urban Studies
Department
Planning and Urban Studies
Major Professor
Renia Ehrenfeucht
Second Advisor
Michelle Thompson
Third Advisor
Lynn Dupont
Abstract
Risk perception is the judgment people make about the characteristics and severity of a risk. Numerous theories and models exist which have identified the factors that influence risk perception. Among these factors, location, health status, and demographic characteristics are known to shape risk perception. To measure the influence of these factors on environmental perception, a series of surveys conducted in four Louisiana communities between 2004 and 2005 describe community perceptions about environmental issues and health status. The objective of the study was to characterize and compare environmental concerns relative to location, health status, and demographic characteristics. Results indicate that location has a strong influence in framing an individual’s concerns about environmental issues, particularly those living close to industry. Concern for general environmental and natural preservation issues were comparable among the communities indicating that concern for these issues is independent of residential location.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Langlois, Elizabeth, "Factors that Shape Environmental Perceptions: the Role of Health and Place" (2012). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 1595.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/1595
Included in
Human Geography Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Urban Studies and Planning Commons
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.