Political Science 489: Thesis
The Intangible Made Personal: Perceptions and Opinions of Global Warming
Thesis Advisor: Professor Mark Smith
Winter and Spring 2013 My initial ideas for a thesis focused on media and public opinion, then to media and public opinion with regard to a particular issue, and finally to my investigation of the opinions and perceptions about the topic of global warming. I started with survey data on the subject, and then conducted a series of in-person interviews with the goal of discovering the reasoning behind the statistics and the nuances in how people conceptualized the issue that might not be reflected in the results of a telephone survey. Armed with a voice recorder and notebook, I took many ferry rides to Bainbridge Island and Bremerton, interviewing people on the boat. In the paper, the individual voices of my interview subjects are put in conversation with survey data and previous scholarship in this area, ultimately resulting in a number of recommendations to better engage the public and create meaningful change with regard to global warming. This experience, spread out over two quarters, was the longest, most involved research project I have done. Building on previous work in this area, it was sometimes challenging to find what I was bringing to the discussion that was new. However, by grounding my analysis in a discussion of the opinions and thoughts of the actual people I talked to, I was able to focus on how they fit into the broader conversation, and provide clear, tangible recommendations. My findings focus on how the intangibility of global warming results in ignorance and an inability to relate to the problem. To combat this, the immediacy of the problem must be emphasized, and the thought processes and opinions of people at different points of activism and engagement must be understood and addressed appropriately. Those working to make a change, must engage with the right groups of people, and the conversation about the topic must be reframed away from a paradigm of opinion, doubt and inevitability. Ultimately, engagement about the issue is essential to creating meaningful change and addressing the problem of global warming. |
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