Evaluating Public Understanding and Interpretation of Heat-Related information

With the increase in extreme heat events worldwide, there is a newfound focus on how to effectively communicate about dangerous heat events. For example, the National Weather Service issues heat advisories, excessive heat watches, and excessive heat warnings to notify publics of potential threats and motivate action. These products, however, can be classified as jargon – or specialized terms that have meaning to experts but may not be readily understood by the public (Olson et al., 2023; Sutton et al., 2022). The use of jargon can negatively affect understanding, which decreases one’s ability to take protective actions (Mileti & Sorensen, 1990). However, we currently do not know how members of the public understand and interpret heat information and jargon, including advisories, watches, and warnings. Furthermore, we do not know how members of the public interpret impact and vulnerability information, both of which are essential to encourage action.

In this presentation, we will share results from focus groups conducted in 16 metropolitan regions in the United States that are demographically and climatologically diverse. We will discuss how participants interpret heat jargon and offer alternative, plain language definitions of threats and impacts. These results will inform future recommendations and improvements to heat information developed by the National Weather Service.