A critical facet of research on the human dimensions of global environmental change is identification and analysis of public perceptions of and attitudes toward environmental problems. In order to foster cross-national comparisons of perceptions and attitudes, the international Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Programme (HDP) has proposed the creation of a Global Omnibus Environmental Survey (GOES). GOES would be designed for the following purposes: (1) to gauge public opinion toward the environment, including measurements of knowledge, attitudes, and behavior; (2) to provide a comprehensive comparison of public opinion across a range of countries throughout the world; (3) to monitor changes in public opinion over time in a systematic way; and (4) to contribute toward the understanding of public opinion on global environmental issues in its economic, social, and political contexts. This award will support a planning workshop to be held in Palo Alto, California, in late May 1993. The workshop will be the first in a series, with following workshops supported by organizations in other nations participating in the HDP. A primary purpose of this workshop will be to develop an operational strategy for planning and implementating GOES. This award will directly enable participation of a critical group of scientists in this workshop, and it will ensure prompt and complete dissemination of the workshop results. This planning workshop will bring together scientists from a number of different disciplines and nations to assess what data already exist and what strategies might be most useful as ways to fill critical gaps in information about public opinion regarding the environment. This workshop will serve as a critical step in assembling an multi-national, multi-disciplinary group of social scientists to address critical information needs. Because support for a number of follow-up workshops has been offered from organizations in other nations, the results of this workshop will feed directly into an ongoing development process of an effort that ultimately will provide a systematic and comprehensive understanding of attitudes toward global environmental change.
