ENVIRONMENTAL RESILIENCE INSTITUTE THE HOOSIER LIFE SURVEY ASSESSING HOOSIER PREPAREDNESS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE, EXTREME WEATHER, AND OTHER RISKS Principal investigators1: Did you know? Matthew Houser, PhD Seventy-five percent of Hoosiers (3 out of 4) think that climate change Environmental Resilience is happening. Institute and Department of Sociology Of this group, 79 percent believe that climate change is caused at least in part by human activities; just under half the people in this second group Eric Sandweiss, PhD attribute it “entirely or mostly” to human activity. Department of History More than half (58 percent) of Hoosiers believe that environmental Beth Gazley, PhD change is adversely affecting Americans right now; more than two-thirds O’Neil School of Public (72 percent) believe that they, themselves, will feel its impact in some and Environmental way. Affairs Roughly one-third of Hoosiers report experiencing recent increases in Elizabeth Grennan each of these adverse signs of environmental change: heavy rains, hot Browning, PhD days, and mosquitoes. Only a small minority have perceived a decrease in Environmental Resilience these or other climate-related problems. Institute and Department of History Relatively few (28 percent) Indiana residents believe that science and technology alone can solve the problems created by environmental Heather Reynolds, PhD change. Department of Biology A majority of Hoosier households have already taken simple steps (e.g. James Shanahan, PhD shade trees, improved insulation, programmable thermostats, etc.) to The Media School improve their household’s resilience in the face of extreme weather events; a substantial minority would like to do more. Ye t , almost half of all Hoosiers (47 percent) feel poorly informed about what policies or programs can address these problems. The number of Hoosiers expressing support for public funding of such improvements rises if the proposed cost is borne by wealthier residents or by those industries with the greatest direct responsibility for THE HOOSIER greenhouse gas emissions. LIFE SURVEY: Hoosiers’ views, beliefs, actions and support were shaped by demographic characteristics, including their age, community type, political Assessing Hoosier ideology and household income, among other factors. See the spotlight sub- Preparedness for sections, below, for some highlights of these differences; greater detail will be Environmental Change, featured in upcoming reports. Extreme Weather, and Other Risks 1 Houser and Sandweiss contributed as equal, first authors. The remaining authors are listed alphabetically. TABLE OF Overview . 4 CONTENTS Preparing for Environmental Change in Indiana: The Hoosier Life Survey . 4 What is the Hoosier Life Survey? . 4 What You’ve Heard . 5 What have we learned so far? Highlights of the HLS . 5 How informed do Hoosiers feel? . 5 Whom do Hoosiers trust? . 7 You and the Environment . 9 Beliefs about climate change . 9 What impacts are Hoosiers experiencing? . 12 What impacts are Hoosiers anticipating? . 12 What crises are Hoosiers anticipating? . 15 How concerned are Hoosiers? . 17 What do Hoosiers believe is possible and effective? . 20 What You Do . 21 Are Hoosiers taking action at home? . 21 Do they perceive others in their community to be acting? . 23 What climate-related programs and policies do Hoosiers support? . 24 Who should pay for climate policy in Indiana? . 26 Looking for more? . 30 Appendix . 30 References . 31 HOOSIER LIFE SURVEY Preparing for Environmental Change in Indiana: The What does the HLS tell us? Hoosier Life Survey We asked our Indiana neighbors more than 100 Environmental changes such as extreme weather events, questions, organized in sections titled Who You Are, rising temperatures, floods, or droughts affect people Where You Live, What You Value, What You’ve Heard, You across the globe . But whatever their source and however and the Environment, and What You Do. Taken together, great their extent, these conditions also touch us at local our respondents’ answers show us what Hoosiers levels that we experience each day—around the house, think about environmental change—its origins, its across our community, on the farm, and throughout the extent, its impact on their families . The survey tells us, state where we live . The global challenge of environmental too, how Hoosiers learn about the issues vital to their change is an Indiana challenge, too . future—whom they trust, to whom they listen, from whom they’d like to hear more . It highlights how much Indiana residents are already doing—or are prepared What is the Hoosier Life Survey? to do—to build resilience3 in the face of one of the The Hoosier Life Survey (HLS) is the nation’s most grand challenges of our time . And it reveals the role comprehensive statewide public-opinion survey of of political and personal values—along with social, environmental change to date . The HLS addresses how demographic, and economic differences—individing environmental changes—particularly extreme weather Indiana’s citizens in their approach to that challenge— events—are perceived, how they affect people in their as well as the fundamental things that we share homes and towns, what Hoosiers are doing about it, and despite such differences. what they expect for the future . This research, sponsored by Indiana University’s Environmental Resilience Institute HLS’s in-depth, localized data enrich and focus the findings (ERI), was funded by IU’s Prepared for Environmental of other studies such as the Yale Climate Opinion Maps or Change Grand Challenge initiative . the Pew Research Center’s US Public Views on Climate and Energy report . While these national surveys provide useful Between August and December 2019, ERI reached out guidance to Americans seeking to understand and prepare to 10,000 adult (18+) Hoosiers across Indiana—from for environmental change, the HLS—combined with the ERI’s Chicago’s suburbs to Cincinnati’s metropolitan fringe, Hoosier Resilience Index, ERI Toolkit, and the Indiana Climate from the Grand Chain of the Wabash to the shore of Change Impacts Assessment, coordinated by the Purdue northern Indiana’s historic Limberlost Swamp . In total, Climate Change Research Center—provides a model for 2,739 Hoosiers—representing 90 of the state’s 92 universities and states wishing to tailor their understanding counties—responded . Thanks to their participation, of environmental change and resilience strategies to the ERI can now offer scientists, public officials, and the particular geographies and political and social settings in general public new insight into how climate change which practical, local actions can be taken . affects Hoosiers in their everyday lives.2 (See Appendix 1: Methods for a more detailed description of the survey What have we learned so far? Highlights of the HLS methods . After dropping respondents from our sample In the sections that follow, we highlight some statewide who did not fill out all of the questions examined in this findings about Hoosier responses to environmental report, our findings below draw on the responses of 1,500 change and extreme weather events . Look for more Hoosiers from across the state .) detailed analysis of these and other results in the months to come . 2 Composite margin of error for our sample at the state level is +/- 3 .7 at a 95 percent confidence level, account for the survey design effects. 3 ERI defines “resilience,” in brief, as “the ability to withstand or bounce back from adversity.” For more discussion of this term, see, “What is Resilience?” on the ERI website, https://eri.iu.edu/tools- and-resources/fact-sheets/state-of-resilience-preparing-indiana-for- environmental-change.html 4 HOOSIER LIFE SURVEY Environmental Resilience Institute WHAT YOU’VE HEARD How informed do Hoosiers feel? We asked Hoosiers how well-informed they feel about the risks from extreme weather, a key impact of climate change, and the strategies or solutions needed to face them . While most respondents have some idea of what changes in household practice or public policy might improve resilience, they told us that they feel better-informed about the facts of climate- related problems than they do about how to respond to those challenges (Figure 1) . FIGURE 1: FEW HOOSIERS FEEL WELL-INFORMED ABOUT HOW TO PREPARE FOR CLIMATE-RELATED EXTREME WEATHER EVENTS Question: How well-informed do you feel about the following? Very informed 16% 10% 28% Moderately informed 34% 47% Slightly informed 54% Not at all informed 40% 31% 16% Extreme weather events that Household practices to Programs or policies that can may affect me or my family reduce risks from extreme reduce the risks from future weather events extreme weather events Environmental Resilience Institute HOOSIER LIFE SURVEY 5 WHAT YOU’VE HEARD SPOTLIGHT: The role of age in shaping how informed Hoosiers feel about extreme weather While most Hoosiers do not feel “very informed” about the risks associated with weather extremes and even fewer feel “very informed” about how to prepare for these events, there are some clear differences in who feels this way among Indiana residents. Older Hoosiers are more likely than younger Hoosiers to feel very informed about these risks and the policies to deal with them (Figure 2) . Moving forward, it will be important to determine if older Hoosiers are actually accurately informed about the risks from extreme weather events, as many extremes to come (such as greater frequency and intensity of heat waves) pose a more significant risk to older individuals. Given that fewer older Hoosiers feel very informed about how to deal with extreme events, more outreach and resources may be needed to help this already vulnerable population prepare . FIGURE 2: OLDER HOOSIERS MORE LIKELY TO FEEL “VERY INFORMED” ABOUT EXTREME WEATHER RISKS AND POLICIES TO PREPARE FOR THEM Environmental Resilience Institute HOOSIER LIFE SURVEY 6 WHAT YOU’VE HEARD Whom do Hoosiers trust? We asked Hoosiers whom they trusted to provide reliable information on how to prepare for the impact of extreme weather events.