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Indo-Pacific lionfish (Pterois volitans and P. miles) are the first marine teleost to become established in the Western Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, and Gulf of Mexico. Lionfish have been labeled a global conservation issue and pose major threats to local economies. To test whether commercial harvest of lionfish is a socially accepted management approach in Texas, we measured the components of an environmental behavior intention model with survey responses of Texas Gulf Coast residents (n = 420). Regression analyses of survey responses indicate that individuals were significantly more willing to consume lionfish if they had a high level of concern for the environmental problems posed by the invasive species and were more knowledgeable about the fish. Participation in an educational program that addresses lionfish was also found to be associated with greater willingness to consume lionfish among those who are moderately to highly concerned about the issue. The originality of this study is related to its contribution in identifying social factors that contribute to an individual’s willingness to consume lionfish. Insights from this study demonstrate the attitudinal and behavioral mechanisms that can be addressed to increase acceptance of using consumption as a sustainable management strategy to combat marine fish invasions.
Raven D. Blakeway; Ashley D. Ross; Glenn A. Jones. Insights from a Survey of Texas Gulf Coast Residents on the Social Factors Contributing to Willingness to Consume and Purchase Lionfish. Sustainability 2021, 13, 9621 .
AMA StyleRaven D. Blakeway, Ashley D. Ross, Glenn A. Jones. Insights from a Survey of Texas Gulf Coast Residents on the Social Factors Contributing to Willingness to Consume and Purchase Lionfish. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (17):9621.
Chicago/Turabian StyleRaven D. Blakeway; Ashley D. Ross; Glenn A. Jones. 2021. "Insights from a Survey of Texas Gulf Coast Residents on the Social Factors Contributing to Willingness to Consume and Purchase Lionfish." Sustainability 13, no. 17: 9621.
Hazard information plays an important role in how risk perceptions are formed and what actions are taken in response to risk. While past studies have shown that information on water and air pollution is associated with changes to individual behavior, there is a need for examination of water quality information in the context of environmental disturbances. This study fills that gap by examining water pollution in an active industrial region of the United States—the Galveston Bay of Texas. Using original survey data collected in 2019 of 525 adults living in the Galveston Bay region, logistic regression was used to analyze the association of awareness and use of water pollution information on changes to outdoor activities and consumption of drinking water and/or seafood. Controls for chronic and acute exposure to environmental hazards, environmental knowledge and experience, and demographics were included in the model. The findings indicate frequent use of water quality information is significantly associated with action to reduce risk. On average, an individual who checks water pollution monitoring every day is 26% and 33% more likely to change their outdoor activities and consumption behavior, respectively, than someone who is not aware of this information. There is a need for improvement in pollution data collection and the development of a risk communication framework that facilitates the dissemination of this information in relevant, accessible, and credible ways.
Ashley Ross; Abbey Hotard; Manoj Kamalanathan; Rayna Nolen; David Hala; Lauren Clay; Karl Kaiser; Antonietta Quigg. Awareness Is Not Enough: Frequent Use of Water Pollution Information and Changes to Risky Behavior. Sustainability 2020, 12, 8695 .
AMA StyleAshley Ross, Abbey Hotard, Manoj Kamalanathan, Rayna Nolen, David Hala, Lauren Clay, Karl Kaiser, Antonietta Quigg. Awareness Is Not Enough: Frequent Use of Water Pollution Information and Changes to Risky Behavior. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (20):8695.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAshley Ross; Abbey Hotard; Manoj Kamalanathan; Rayna Nolen; David Hala; Lauren Clay; Karl Kaiser; Antonietta Quigg. 2020. "Awareness Is Not Enough: Frequent Use of Water Pollution Information and Changes to Risky Behavior." Sustainability 12, no. 20: 8695.
Climate change is a divisive issue in the United States, and most research has focused on partisan differences, thereby leaving the impact of social identities on climate change attitudes underexplored. However, research has shown that the strength of varying and overlapping identities is key to understanding political attitudes. In this paper, we introduce Millennial Generation/Generation Z (“MillZ”) as a meaningful social identity that influences political attitudes. Moreover, we contend that Latino*MillZ is an identity that has explanatory value for understanding climate change beliefs. While Latino and Millennial/Generation Z identities are not perfectly aligned, members of the Millennial Generation and Generation Z include a relatively high proportion of Latinos. Furthermore, since Latinos are disproportionately affected by climate change (i.e. the “climate gap”) the MillZ identity should generate increased concern for the environment. We utilize an original national survey to explore the interplay of Latino and MillZ identities on attitudes about climate change. Results show that Latino and MillZ identities are both associated with heightened climate change concern and that strong attachment to one identity is sufficient to induce concern when the other is weak. These findings point to the importance of exploring multiple identities and offer evidence that social identities are activated in different ways to influence climate change attitudes.
Ashley D. Ross; Stella M. Rouse. (Young) Generations as Social Identities: The Role of Latino*Millennial/Generation Z in Shaping Attitudes About Climate Change. Political Behavior 2020, 1 -20.
AMA StyleAshley D. Ross, Stella M. Rouse. (Young) Generations as Social Identities: The Role of Latino*Millennial/Generation Z in Shaping Attitudes About Climate Change. Political Behavior. 2020; ():1-20.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAshley D. Ross; Stella M. Rouse. 2020. "(Young) Generations as Social Identities: The Role of Latino*Millennial/Generation Z in Shaping Attitudes About Climate Change." Political Behavior , no. : 1-20.
Food insecurity prevalence among disaster-affected households has been found to be higher than state prevalence in non-disaster times. This study applies a socio-ecological model of post-disaster food insecurity to a nested quota sample (n = 1002) recruited for a web survey from 41 Texas counties affected by Hurricane Harvey 12–15 months post-event. This analysis identifies risk and protective factors for food insecurity. Chi-square analysis was used to examine independent associations between individual, household, and social factors with food insecurity. A multivariate logistic model was fitted and adjusted odds ratios are reported. Economic instability (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 2.43; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.73, 3.41), relocation due to Hurricane Harvey (OR 1.89; CI 1.15, 3.09), major home damage (OR 2.11; CI 1.12, 3.98), non-white race – black (OR 1.79; CI 1.01, 3.18), Hispanic (OR 1.67; CI 1.09, 2.54), other race (OR 4.39; CI 1.96, 9.82) – and community-based organization assistance (1.99; 1.11, 3.58) were risk factors while older age (45–64 years: 0.49; 0.32, 0.73; 65+ years 0.40; 0.22, 0.75), better physical health (0.46; 0.29, 0.71), better mental health (0.46; 0.32, 0.67), and high social support (0.37; 0.25, 0.55) were protective against food insecurity. Disaster policies and programs should address the disproportionate burden on households that relocate or have health conditions. Fostering social support networks, especially among relocated populations, may improve disaster health outcomes.
Lauren A. Clay; Ashley D. Ross. Factors Associated with Food Insecurity Following Hurricane Harvey in Texas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2020, 17, 762 .
AMA StyleLauren A. Clay, Ashley D. Ross. Factors Associated with Food Insecurity Following Hurricane Harvey in Texas. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2020; 17 (3):762.
Chicago/Turabian StyleLauren A. Clay; Ashley D. Ross. 2020. "Factors Associated with Food Insecurity Following Hurricane Harvey in Texas." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17, no. 3: 762.
Exposure to natural disasters like hurricanes negatively impacts the mental and physical health of populations, and evacuation is an important step taken to prevent these adverse health events. This study uses data from a large representative sample of U.S. Gulf Coast residents to explore the determinants of hurricane evacuation. In December 2017, data were collected from 3030 residents of the U.S. Gulf Coast, including Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida—2557 of whom reported being impacted during the 2017 hurricane season. Bivariate analyses were conducted using prevalence differences and tested for statistical significance with chi-square tests. Multivariable logistic regression models were fitted to identify factors associated with hurricane evacuation. One-third of the respondents (919 of 2557; 35.9%) evacuated from a hurricane that impacted the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2017. The determinants of hurricane evacuation in this population were: residing in a mobile home, higher perception of storm surge risk, higher perception of wind risk, self-sufficiency, carrying flood insurance, and reliance on media and family for evacuation decisions. These findings may be relevant for reducing the adverse health effects of hurricanes by improving emergency planning and evacuation in this highly vulnerable region.
Ibraheem M. Karaye; Jennifer A. Horney; David P. Retchless; Ashley D. Ross. Determinants of Hurricane Evacuation from a Large Representative Sample of the U.S. Gulf Coast. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2019, 16, 4268 .
AMA StyleIbraheem M. Karaye, Jennifer A. Horney, David P. Retchless, Ashley D. Ross. Determinants of Hurricane Evacuation from a Large Representative Sample of the U.S. Gulf Coast. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2019; 16 (21):4268.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIbraheem M. Karaye; Jennifer A. Horney; David P. Retchless; Ashley D. Ross. 2019. "Determinants of Hurricane Evacuation from a Large Representative Sample of the U.S. Gulf Coast." International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 16, no. 21: 4268.
Elevated rates of mental morbidity have been reported among residents of areas exposed to hurricanes. This study aims to assess the self-rated mental health of Texas residents exposed to Hurricane Harvey and identify factors associated with variations in self-rated mental health. The 12-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12) was administered to 1086 residents of the Texas Gulf Coast exposed to Hurricane Harvey. Responses were scored using the algorithm recommended by Quality Metric. A multiple linear regression model was fitted to identify the factors that predicted the respondents' mental component summary scores (MCS). Texas Gulf Coast residents exposed to Harvey exhibited poorer self-rated mental health than the U.S national population (Mean MCS = 34.58 (SD = 8.89)). Respondents with graduate or professional degrees, older adults, and those with higher perception of surge risk had better reported mental health after Hurricane Harvey, while females and mobile home residents had poorer reported mental health. Residents of areas exposed to Hurricane Harvey reported poorer self-rated mental health compared to national standards. These findings support the enhanced provision of mental health services after a disaster, and suggest that they may be most effective when integrated with economic and educational programs and directed towards populations that are younger and less-educated in addition to women with children as well as those who live in mobile homes.
Ibraheem M. Karaye; Ashley D. Ross; Maria Perez-Patron; Courtney Thompson; Nicholas Taylor; Jennifer A. Horney. Factors associated with self-reported mental health of residents exposed to Hurricane Harvey. Progress in Disaster Science 2019, 2, 100016 .
AMA StyleIbraheem M. Karaye, Ashley D. Ross, Maria Perez-Patron, Courtney Thompson, Nicholas Taylor, Jennifer A. Horney. Factors associated with self-reported mental health of residents exposed to Hurricane Harvey. Progress in Disaster Science. 2019; 2 ():100016.
Chicago/Turabian StyleIbraheem M. Karaye; Ashley D. Ross; Maria Perez-Patron; Courtney Thompson; Nicholas Taylor; Jennifer A. Horney. 2019. "Factors associated with self-reported mental health of residents exposed to Hurricane Harvey." Progress in Disaster Science 2, no. : 100016.
Objective This article explores how the Millennial Generation identity—the shared values and experiences of young adults (born between 1980 and 1997)—affects political polarization of climate change belief, specifically how it mediates the relationship between party affiliation and educational attainment. Method To test this, an interaction between Millennial*Republican*education is estimated, using data from an original national survey administered in 2015. Results Millennials are more likely to believe in the evidence of climate change and its anthropogenic causes than older adults of their same party affiliation. Unlike older adults, the most educated Millennials are not the most likely to adhere to political party stance; rather, it is among the least educated Millennials that party sorting is most evident. Conclusion The Millennial Generation identity is meaningful for understanding political attitudes. Important distinctions exist between Millennials and older adults in the evaluation of climate change opinion and related policies.
Ashley D. Ross; Stella M. Rouse; William Mobley. Polarization of Climate Change Beliefs: The Role of the Millennial Generation Identity. Social Science Quarterly 2019, 100, 2625 -2640.
AMA StyleAshley D. Ross, Stella M. Rouse, William Mobley. Polarization of Climate Change Beliefs: The Role of the Millennial Generation Identity. Social Science Quarterly. 2019; 100 (7):2625-2640.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAshley D. Ross; Stella M. Rouse; William Mobley. 2019. "Polarization of Climate Change Beliefs: The Role of the Millennial Generation Identity." Social Science Quarterly 100, no. 7: 2625-2640.
On April 22, 2017, millions of people marched for science in response to a growing sense of urgency for preserving scientific funding and knowledge, both perceived as threatened by the Trump administration. This research note highlights data collected at three marches: Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, California; and Austin, Texas. We examine marcher motivations for participation, finding the environment, current administration, and science funding were most prevalent. Furthermore, we find the majority of marchers support stances that position science as public good, including the belief that science informs responsible government policies and the support of government investments in science.
Ashley D. Ross; Rhonda Struminger; Jeffrey Winking; Kathryn R. Wedemeyer-Strombel. Science as a Public Good: Findings From a Survey of March for Science Participants. Science Communication 2018, 40, 228 -245.
AMA StyleAshley D. Ross, Rhonda Struminger, Jeffrey Winking, Kathryn R. Wedemeyer-Strombel. Science as a Public Good: Findings From a Survey of March for Science Participants. Science Communication. 2018; 40 (2):228-245.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAshley D. Ross; Rhonda Struminger; Jeffrey Winking; Kathryn R. Wedemeyer-Strombel. 2018. "Science as a Public Good: Findings From a Survey of March for Science Participants." Science Communication 40, no. 2: 228-245.