Extended Abstract (1.2M)P1.23
Understanding people's attitudes and behaviors for weather forecast information
Julie Demuth, NCAR, Boulder, CO; and J. K. Lazo and R. E. Morss
Every day, the U.S. weather enterprise collectively provides multiple weather forecasts to a broad public audience. Although the weather community has a general and often experientially based sense of the public arena of weather forecasting, empirical research in this area can improve our understanding of people's attitudes and behaviors regarding weather forecast information and how these vary among individuals. To begin exploring these topics, we conducted a nationwide, controlled-access Internet survey of the general public with 1465 completed responses. The survey included questions to assess people's sources, perceptions, uses, and values for weather forecast information and their perceptions and interpretations for forecast uncertainty information. The socio-demographic characteristics of the sample are comparable to the U.S. population, and there is good geographic distribution with responses from every U.S. state. Respondents were then matched with climatological data and forecast verification measures based on their reported locations. This presentation will discuss how people's attitudes and behaviors for weather forecast information vary based on their socio-demographic characteristics, their experiences with weather based on where they live, and their responses to other questions from the survey.
Poster Session 1, Policy and Socio—Economic Research Poster Session
Monday, 12 January 2009, 2:30 PM-4:00 PM, Hall 5
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