Anthropogenic climate change is a global concern that has the possibility to become the next world-altering event. While there is a substantial amount of scientific evidence proving its existence and harmful repercussions, there is still a lack of belief in its occurrence within the United States. This research uses survey data obtained from the University of Southern Mississippi to provide an understanding at a local scale of how both physical and psychological aspects bridge a gap in perception research.
With the use of previous research done by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) and George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication (Mason 4C), I compare survey results on climate change belief as well as perceptions of risk. Additionally, I assess psychological influences on climate perceptions using the Moral Foundations Theory, as well as obtain differences in views based on generation. In this thesis, I validate risk perception, morality, and generations each as useful methods in understanding climate perceptions. These results demonstrate the need for more granular-level research to understand how perceptions are presented.
","abstract_html":"<p>Anthropogenic climate change is a global concern that has the possibility to become the next world-altering event. While there is a substantial amount of scientific evidence proving its existence and harmful repercussions, there is still a lack of belief in its occurrence within the United States. This research uses survey data obtained from the University of Southern Mississippi to provide an understanding at a local scale of how both physical and psychological aspects bridge a gap in perception research.</p> <p>With the use of previous research done by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) and George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication (Mason 4C), I compare survey results on climate change belief as well as perceptions of risk. Additionally, I assess psychological influences on climate perceptions using the Moral Foundations Theory, as well as obtain differences in views based on generation. In this thesis, I validate risk perception, morality, and generations each as useful methods in understanding climate perceptions. These results demonstrate the need for more granular-level research to understand how perceptions are presented.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wegmann, Kelly"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science (MS)","degree_level":"Masters Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Dr. David M. Cochran Jr.","Dr. Clay S. Tucker","Dr. Kayla D. Stan"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2024,"date_issued":"2024-08-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2024-08-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:47Z","subjects":["anthropogenic climate change","risk perception","moral foundations theory","generations","Southeastern United States","Yale Program on Climate Change Communication"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1052","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Dr. David M. Cochran Jr.","Dr. Clay S. Tucker","Dr. Kayla D. Stan"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wegmann, Kelly"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2024-08-01T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Masters Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science (MS)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["anthropogenic climate change","risk perception","moral foundations theory","generations","Southeastern United States","Yale Program on Climate Change Communication"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1052"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Anthropogenic climate change is a global concern that has the possibility to become the next world-altering event. While there is a substantial amount of scientific evidence proving its existence and harmful repercussions, there is still a lack of belief in its occurrence within the United States. This research uses survey data obtained from the University of Southern Mississippi to provide an understanding at a local scale of how both physical and psychological aspects bridge a gap in perception research.
With the use of previous research done by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) and George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication (Mason 4C), I compare survey results on climate change belief as well as perceptions of risk. Additionally, I assess psychological influences on climate perceptions using the Moral Foundations Theory, as well as obtain differences in views based on generation. In this thesis, I validate risk perception, morality, and generations each as useful methods in understanding climate perceptions. These results demonstrate the need for more granular-level research to understand how perceptions are presented.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Promoting Greater Granularity in Climate Research: A Case Study Analyzing Perceptions of Anthropogenic Climate Change Among Students, Faculty, and Staff at The University of Southern Mississippi"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Dr. David M. Cochran Jr.","Dr. Clay S. Tucker","Dr. Kayla D. Stan"],"dc:creator":["Wegmann, Kelly"],"dc:date.available":["2024-08-01T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Anthropogenic climate change is a global concern that has the possibility to become the next world-altering event. While there is a substantial amount of scientific evidence proving its existence and harmful repercussions, there is still a lack of belief in its occurrence within the United States. This research uses survey data obtained from the University of Southern Mississippi to provide an understanding at a local scale of how both physical and psychological aspects bridge a gap in perception research.
With the use of previous research done by the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication (YPCCC) and George Mason University Center for Climate Change Communication (Mason 4C), I compare survey results on climate change belief as well as perceptions of risk. Additionally, I assess psychological influences on climate perceptions using the Moral Foundations Theory, as well as obtain differences in views based on generation. In this thesis, I validate risk perception, morality, and generations each as useful methods in understanding climate perceptions. These results demonstrate the need for more granular-level research to understand how perceptions are presented.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://aquila.usm.edu/masters_theses/1052"],"dc:subject":["anthropogenic climate change","risk perception","moral foundations theory","generations","Southeastern United States","Yale Program on Climate Change Communication"],"dc:title":["Promoting Greater Granularity in Climate Research: A Case Study Analyzing Perceptions of Anthropogenic Climate Change Among Students, Faculty, and Staff at The University of Southern Mississippi"],"thesis:degree_level":["Masters Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science (MS)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T05:45:47Z"}