Political affiliation affects adaptation to climate risks: Evidence from New York City

W. J Wouter Botzen*, Erwann Michel-Kerjan, Howard Kunreuther, Hans de Moel, Jeroen C J H Aerts

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

    Abstract

    Research reveals that liberals and conservatives in the United States diverge about their beliefs regarding climate change. We show empirically that political affiliation also matters with respect to climate related risks such as flooding from hurricanes. Our study is based on a survey conducted 6 months after Superstorm Sandy in 2012 of over 1,000 residents in flood-prone areas in New York City. Democrats’ perception of their probability of suffering flood damage is significantly higher than Republicans’ and they are also more likely to invest in individual flood protection measures. However, 50% more Democrats than Republicans in our sample expect to receive federal disaster relief after a major flood. These results highlight the importance of taking into account value-based considerations in designing disaster risk management policies.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)353-360
    Number of pages8
    JournalClimatic Change
    Volume138
    Issue number1-2
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Sept 2016

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