Oakland County’s Understanding of Climate Change

By: Makaila Gaston (Co-Writers: Ashley & Sarah)

Climate change is a topic that many feel very strongly about, while others may not even understand the basics of what climate change really is. In order to get a better picture of how climate change is understood in Oakland County, Michigan, we conducted some research to gage individuals’ understanding on the matter.

Through the use of Twitter, Google Forms, and conversations with friends and family, we were able to collect data from over 50 individuals.

The findings of our study showed that while a small percentage of individuals may not know much about climate change, the vast majority do consider themselves to be knowledgeable on the subject. However, still nearly half of our respondents failed to see how Climate Change is relative to their own life.

Pie charts were created to represent the data collected in the study. While 88.5% of respondents said they know what Climate Change is, only 53.8% believe that they are impacted by it.

Interestingly enough, the vast majority of those surveyed (88.5%) said that they know about Climate Change, but about half of those individuals said they don't see how it directly affects them. The striking reality is, though, that Climate Change is affecting all of us here in Michigan.

Learning how individual communities understand Climate Change is the first step towards making a difference. There are so many resources available to help raise awareness on the impacts of Climate Change in local communities.

The bar graph above illustrates the number of individual answers to each of the three Climate Change questions. While most respondents agreed that Climate Change is a crisis for animals, many individuals did not agree that it impacts their personal lives.

Some of the ways that communities like Oakland County could increase their knowledge of Climate Change is by promoting informational flyers, raising awareness, and conducting environmental health campaigns to help reduce waste and live conservatively. Other ways to increase awareness could also include social media campaigns - by getting individuals involved on a platform where they can quickly gather more information, then by getting them involved on social media, in person events and programs could be held.

By continuing to survey individual communities and gage understanding, cities and counties can improve themselves and ultimately improve the environment through their work and dedication.

For more information, check out our posts on Twitter and Facebook.