The Effect of Levels of Government and Capacity Limits on Support for Land Conservation

Presenter

Sophia Michelle Farinella

Campus

UMass Amherst

Sponsor

Alexander G. Theodoridis, Department of Political Science, UMass Amherst

Schedule

Session 3, 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM [Schedule by Time][Poster Grid for Time/Location]

Location

Poster Board A30, Campus Center Auditorium, Row 2 (A21-A40) [Poster Location Map]

Abstract

Land conservation is a primary strategy of Biden Harris 30×30 initiative for mitigating climate change. Public support for conservation projects is key to their sustainability. This study explores how public awareness of government resource limitations affects public support for conservation projects. Data is collected from an original online survey of 1000 randomly selected adults in the United States. This survey uses an experimental vignette design to test six scenarios about a hypothetical land conservation project in their area. The vignettes vary in which level of government is enacting the policy, and if resources are provided for the project or not. Results are analyzed using statistical regression and content analysis. Public trust literature would predict that public support will be highest at the local level and lowest at the federal level. Conversely, literature on the public's perception of government resource capacity would predict that the federal level of government will be more supported than state, and state will be more supported than local. This research sets out to examine how the intersection of these competing tendencies impacts levels of public support. The results of this research inform policymakers and advocates on the effects of communicating capacity limits to the public at different levels of government.

Keywords

public trust, land conservation, sustainability indicators

Research Area

Political Science and Government

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