Preparing for a talk on communicating sustainable development with the public, I've been reading far too many reports than are good for me.
The following is from a survey of attitudes and knowledge relating to biodiversity and the natural environment (2007 to 2011). Results are based on 1,769 face to face interviews in England conducted in late March 2011, and similar surveys conducted in earlier years commissioned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
No definitions or explanations of the concepts were provided to respondents; nor was any guidance given, as far as I can see, about what 'lot' / 'fair' / little / etc meant.
|
Respondents' self-declared knowledge (%) of …
|
Climate change |
Ecosystem services |
Biodiversity |
| A lot / a fair amount |
44 |
18 |
18 |
| Just a little |
44 |
33 |
30 |
| Nothing, have only heard of the name |
8 |
18 |
18 |
| Nothing, have never heard of it |
2 |
28 |
31 |
So, what's to be made of all this? Not much, I suspect. I think it was Norman Lamont who remarked that anyone who thought they understood (the ERM) clearly didn't have all the facts. The climate change figures seem in this vein, but then the wrong questions were asked, and there was no check on what people actually do understand. Back to the drawing board, then ... .
Respond