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Thesis Shelby Taber.pdf (1.25 MB)

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Understanding Water Quality Perception Accuracy in the Maumee River Watershed

Taber, Shelby Young
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619132765436485

Abstract Details

2021, Master of Science, Ohio State University, Environment and Natural Resources.
In recent years, Lake Erie has seen a surge in harmful algal blooms that are largely attributed to agricultural runoff in the Maumee River Watershed. Local action and public influence can improve local water quality, but changing behaviors relies on an understanding of the beliefs or perceptions that motivate action. A better understanding of what influences public perceptions of local water quality and how accurate these perceptions are compared to actual water quality may be necessary to motivate local pro-environmental behavior. There is not currently a consensus about how different factors will influence public perceptions and accuracy of water quality. Although there is a clear focus in the literature on how organoleptic properties drive public perceptions (e.g., a water body is considered good if it smells and looks good). This study uses observational water quality data combined with perceptions of water quality to determine how demographic factors (such as age, gender, education, income, and proximity) and information environments (such as issue attentiveness, issue understanding, and trust in stakeholders) influence local perceptions and the accuracy of those perceptions in the Maumee River Watershed. Our results indicate that demographic factors are poor predictors of both perceptions and accuracy, while the most predictive factor was a respondent’s trust in agricultural stakeholders. Specifically, we find that water quality is more likely to be perceived as good and better than it actually is among those who highly trust agricultural stakeholders. This suggests that future research and communication efforts should focus on how different channels of communication are presenting local water quality issues. In this area with a particularly large agricultural influence, these results may indicate that individuals are motivated to believe the water is better than it is due to their agricultural interests. On the other hand, they may actually be receiving information from agricultural stakeholders that downplays local issues, versus information from environmental stakeholders that may overstate the problem.
Robyn Wilson (Advisor)
Rachel Gabor (Committee Member)
Eric Toman (Committee Member)
102 p.
Environmental Studies

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Taber, S. Y. (2021). Understanding Water Quality Perception Accuracy in the Maumee River Watershed [Master's thesis, Ohio State University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619132765436485

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Taber, Shelby. Understanding Water Quality Perception Accuracy in the Maumee River Watershed. 2021. Ohio State University, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619132765436485.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Taber, Shelby. "Understanding Water Quality Perception Accuracy in the Maumee River Watershed." Master's thesis, Ohio State University, 2021. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=osu1619132765436485

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

osu1619132765436485
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This open access ETD is published by The Ohio State University and OhioLINK.