Journal article
Awareness of and Attitudes towards Heat Waves within the Context of Climate Change among a Cohort of Residents in Adelaide, Australia
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol.10(1), pp.1-17
2013
Abstract
Heat waves are a public health concern in Australia and unprecedented heat waves have been recorded in Adelaide over recent years. The aim of this study was to examine the perception and attitudes towards heat waves in the context of climate change among a group of residents in Adelaide, an Australian city with a temperate climate. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the summer of 2012 among a sample of 267 residents. The results of the survey found that television (89.9%), radio (71.2%), newspapers (45.3%) were the main sources from which respondents received information about heat waves. The majority of the respondents (73.0%) followed news about heat waves very or somewhat closely. About 26.6% of the respondents were extremely or very concerned about the effects of heat waves on them personally. The main issues that were of personal concern for respondents during a heat wave were their personal comfort (60.7%), their garden (48.7%), and sleeping well (47.6%). Overall, respondents were more concerned about the impacts of heat waves to the society than on themselves. There was a significant association between gender (χ² = 21.2, df = 3, p = 0.000), gross annual household income (p = 0.03) and concern for the societal effects of heat waves. Less than half (43.2%) of the respondents believed that heat waves will extremely or very likely increase in Adelaide according to climate projections. Nearly half (49.3%) believed that the effects of heat waves were already being felt in Adelaide. These findings may inform the reframing and communication strategies for heat waves in Adelaide in the context of climate change.
Details
- Title
- Awareness of and Attitudes towards Heat Waves within the Context of Climate Change among a Cohort of Residents in Adelaide, Australia
- Authors
- Derick A Akompab (Author) - University of AdelaidePeng Bi (Author) - University of AdelaideSusan Williams (Author) - University of AdelaideJanet Grant (Author) - University of AdelaideIain Walker (Author) - CSIRO Climate Adaptation FlagshipMartha Augoustinos (Author) - University of Adelaide
- Publication details
- International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, Vol.10(1), pp.1-17
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Date published
- 2013
- DOI
- 10.3390/ijerph10010001
- ISSN
- 1661-7827
- Copyright note
- Copyright © 2013 The Authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
- Organisation Unit
- University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland; Sustainability Research Cluster
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99448911802621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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