Live Poster Session: https://wesleyan.zoom.us/j/98207566225
Paul Kraut
Hello! My name is Paul Kraut, and I am a Junior Biology and Environmental Studies double major at Wesleyan University. I am taking Applied Data Analysis this semester to develop coding and statistics skills that I will use in my research going forward. I chose to study how demographic factors like race and annual family income impact one’s likelihood to see climate change as a legitimate threat.
Abstract: This study aims to investigate the role that annual family income plays in one’s likelihood to perceive climate change as a significant threat. Data taken from an American survey in 2017 was used to explore the interactions between annual family income, race, and political party as they relate to if one considers climate change to be a significant threat or not. Logistic regression found annual family income to have no significant relationship with climate threat perception. Utilizing multiple regression to investigate potential confounding variables revealed that political party is the strongest strong predictor for perceived climate threat of the three explanatory variables included (annual family income, race, and political party). The relatively small size of the sample could have made difference in the statistical significance of differences in risk perception across different income levels, so more data may be needed to conclusively rule out socioeconomic status as a predictor for one’s perceived climate threat.
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