Misgivings about Environmental Outreach as a Barrier in a Neighborhood Opinion Leader Campaign

Abstract

We examined socially influential residents’ beliefs about pro-environmental outreach in a Midwestern city, identifying factors influencing willingness to participate in an urban water quality outreach campaign. The sample included self-identified leaders (opinion leaders) residing in neighborhoods surrounding a small urban lake. Participants answered questions about using less salt on sidewalks and driveways, removing leaves from the street before it rains, allowing rainwater to soak into the ground on their property, and encouraging neighbors to do these behaviors. Favorable beliefs about outreach and experience with outreach were associated with greater willingness to do pro-environmental outreach. Favorable beliefs about pro-environmental behaviors and experience with pro-environmental behaviors were not associated with willingness to do pro-environmental outreach. We discuss how understanding opinion leaders’ beliefs about pro-environmental outreach and navigating their misgivings about reaching out to their neighbors can inform campaigns fostering neighborhood water advocacy and outreach.

Keywords:

• Behavior change
• climate change
• environmental campaigns
• opinion leadership
• social influence
• stormwater
• water quality

Acknowledgments

The research protocol obtained a determination of exemption under U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Title 45: Part 46 from the UW-Madison Institutional Review Board (IRB). The statements, findings, conclusions, and recommendations are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the granting entities. Portions of this research were submitted as part of the requirements for a master’s degree at UW-Madison. Susan Day, Marian Farrior, Bradley Herrick, Christy Lowney, Gail Epping Overholt, Barry Radler, Nancy Sheehan, Sijia Yang, and several anonymous reviewers provided comments on this research.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data Availability Statement

Participants in this study did not give consent for their data to be shared publicly.

Notes

1 See Introduction Supplement 1 for additional study background.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the UW-Madison Arboretum and the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute under grants from the National Sea Grant College Program, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, and from the State of Wisconsin, under federal grant number NA22OAR4170044.