Perception Of Environmental Quality Research Articles

Long- and short-term state-dependent foraging under predation risk: an indication of habitat quality

Animals living in environments of different quality will have different expectations of their future reproductive success and survival. This may affect the individual's risk-taking behaviour as manifest in the cost of predation. We investigated the foraging behaviour of starlings, Sturnus vulgaris, when perceived predation risk varied between patches. Short-term food availability varied between treatments and long-term differences in perceptions of environmental quality varied between groups of individuals. This corresponds to variation in the three components of the cost of predation (P): the predation risk (μ); the change in reproductive value with energy gain (∂F /∂e); and the reproductive value or fitness factor (F). The birds showed that they experienced a higher cost of predation while using the risky food patches (μ component) and in the high food treatment (∂F /∂e component). Furthermore, birds from a high-reward habitat revealed a higher P than birds from a poor habitat (F component). The results show that the costs of predation are possible to tease apart by using behavioural indicators. The method presented allows measurement of fitness prospects of individuals, which may have consequences for conservation, for example, to identify low-quality habitat. Copyright 2002 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour

Environmental Valuation with Imperfect Information: The Case of the Random Utility Model

This paper considers welfare analysis with therandom utility model (RUM) when perceptions ofenvironmental quality differ from objectivemeasures of environmental quality. Environmental quality is assumed to be anexperience good, so that while perceptions ofquality determine choices, ex postutility is determined by objective quality. Given this assumption, I derive a measure ofthe welfare impact of changes in environmentalquality, and I show how this new welfaremeasure differs from the traditional welfaremeasure developed by Hanemann (1982). This newwelfare measure provides an approach tomeasuring the value of information aboutenvironmental quality within the framework ofthe random utility model.

Public Perceptions of Environmental Quality: A Survey Study of Beach Use and Perceptions in Los Angeles County

Despite documented successes in the battle to clean up the coastal waters of Southern California, Los Angeles County residents continue to view the ocean more as a place of pollution than a vibrant and healthy place for bathing and swimming. This study shows that residents of Los Angeles County tend to hold perceptions of marine water quality that are at odds with data on bacteriological measures of water quality collected by local sanitation districts (and reported by not-for-profit Heal the Bay). Summary results of a survey of 400 randomly chosen households in Los Angeles County are given. Respondents were asked about their beach use and perceptions of environmental quality: both coastal water quality and air quality. The results suggest that perceptions of coastal water quality may be influenced less by “current coastal education campaigns” and more by the media and other factors.

Perception of environmental quality in urban population of Czech Republic

Perception of environmental quality in urban population of Czech Republic

Rural Senegalese Perceptions of Environmental Quality

Differences in environmental perspectives between advanced industrial and developing country nationals has both practical and policy implications for the transfer of environmentally sound technologies. This paper characterizes rural Senegalese environmental perspectives in the context of competing environmental paradigms and of their historical development. Methodological issues concerning the adaptation of items from the “Health of the Planet Survey” (HOPS) questionnaire (Dunlap, Gallup, and Gallup, 1993) to rural Senegal are discussed and qualitative survey results presented. Based on a stratified national sample of rural Senegalese men and women, a quantitative analysis addresses the priority concerns of rural Senegalese men and women and how they perceive the trade off between environmental protection and economic development. The paper concludes that attempts to draw valid conclusions concerning comparisons between the environmental perspectives of the publics of advanced industrial and low income developing countries must take local conditions, their historical dynamics and cultural expressions into account.

Environmental quality perceptions of urban commercial real estate

The aim of the paper is to investigate locational attributes of commercial real estate which are defined in terms of a collection of qualitative appreciations by office users in the Geneva region in Switzerland. The empirical analysis of these environmental quality appreciations was carried out using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology with data from a questionnaire which was sent to 1,800 users of commercial real estate. The users belong to seven professional categories, thus making it possible to examine inter‐professional differences between the appreciations. Seven criteria, all quantifiable in the framework of a geographic information system, are used to evaluate the quality of the urban environment through a process of pairwise comparisons. Some general preferences concerning four pre‐defined geographic areas are also examined in the perspective of a possible further analysis based on geographic information systems. Although the value spread of the quality perceptions appears to be rather wide, it is still possible to identify with confidence a few dominant criteria for the choice of particular office locations.

Estimating the benefit and the environmental quality preference in multinomial probit models using a simulation approach

Simulated maximum likelihood is used to estimate a random parameter multinomial probit model of destination choice for recreational fishing trips, formulated to accommodate varying tastes and varying perceptions of environmental quality across individuals. The restricted likelihood ratio test strongly rejects the independent probit model, which is similar to the independent logit model in both the parameter and benefit estimates. Furthermore, both the Krinsky-Robb and bootstrapping procedures suggest that the benefit (standard deviation) of an environmental policy is found to be markedly lower (higher) when heterogeneous preferences are taken into account.

Informal settlers' perceptions of environmental quality: A case study of the Mizamoyethu Community, South Africa

Informal settlements are an integral part of the urban environment in South Africa. People living in these settlements exist at a close interface with the environment, constantly having to adjust to environmental changes. Urban managers and planners need to find ways of developing informal settlements that enhance residents' quality of life while reducing the settlement's impact on the environment. Central to addressing these issues is the adoption of a participatory planning approach, which recognises and acts upon knowledge of community values, perceptions and needs. This paper reports the results of a case study of informal settlers' perceptions of environmental quality. Fifteen residents of an informal settlement were interviewed regarding their perceptions of their living environment, with the aim of alerting planners to ways in which environmental quality might be improved. Four major themes were identified: aspects of the natural environment; services and facilities; personal and community security; and employment opportunities. The need to unite the community to work together to achieve its own goals was a common thread in all these aspects. The findings indicate that informal settlers have a developed appreciation of local environmental quality which should be investigated and incorporated in the planning and development process.

Economic Development and Environmental Quality: Evidence from Taiwan

The relationship between economic growth and environmental quality is identified for Taiwan. The question is investigated by using a set of pooling data on per‐capita income and selected major environmental quality variables as well as an aggregated environmental quality indicator constructed by a hedonic price approach. The results have indicated that different environmental indicators portray different portions of an inversed U‐curve relating pollution and income. As with the aggregate environmental indicator, an index used to generalize the overall trend and account for the general perception of environmental quality, gives a relationship between the indicator and economic growth which is said to be compatible in foreseeable income levels. The positive relationship between economic development and environmental quality, however, does not imply that a greater percentage of income, inferred from monetary measure of aggregate environmental index, would be spent on the improvement of environment as income increased.

Environmental Quality Preference and Benefit Estimation in Multinomial Probit Models: A Simulation Approach

AbstractSimulated maximum likelihood is used to estimate a random parameter multinomial probit model of destination choice for recreational fishing trips, formulated to accommodate varying tastes and varying perceptions of environmental quality across individuals. The restricted likelihood ratio test strongly rejects the independent probit model, which is similar to the independent logit model in both the parameter and benefit estimates. Furthermore, both the Krinsky‐Robb and bootstrapping procedures suggest that the benefit (standard deviation) of an environmental policy is found to be markedly lower (higher) when heterogeneous preferences are taken into account.

Racial Differences on Well-Being among Aged and Disabled Public Housing Residents

This research examined racial differences in well-being among aged and disabled public housing residents. Predictors of interest to this research included health and functional status, income and income adequacy, social integration, and residential preference and perception of environmental quality. Participants in this research included a random sample of 427 (186 white and 241 black) aged and disabled public housing residents. Findings from this research indicate that environmental perception and preference along with health are of greater importance among white residents while among blacks health and income adequacy are more critical in determining moral among aged and disabled public housing residents.

A role for technical environmental assessment in perceptions of environmental quality and well-being

There is growing interest in including measures of external reality in models of person-environment transactions. That step is necessary to avoid circularity in reasoning and to change environments in desired ways. This study tests the utility of technical assessments of environmental quality, derived independently of the judgements of respondents or observers. Nine components based on objective facts about the residential environment, nine components based on person charactertistics, plus age and sex were used to predict 13 criteria which reflect the residents' perceptions of various aspects of their environment and of its impact on their well-being. The technical environmental assessment indices made statistically significant independent contributions which cross-validated with all of the 13 criteria. The person components plus age and sex also made independent contributions which cross-validated with 12 of the 13 criteria. The results support the idea that technical environmental assessments can play a constructive role in clarifying person-environment transactions, and that they are complementary to rather than redundant with personal characteristics of respondents in affecting environmental perceptions.

Residential Choice and the Well-Being of Aged and Disabled Public Housing Residents

This research examined the importance of residential preference and perception of environmental quality, along with health, socio-economic status, and social integration, in determining mode among public housing residents. Participants of this research included a random sample of 427 aged and disabled public housing residents. Findings fmm this research substantiate the importance of residential choice and perception of environmental quality along with health, social integration and knowledge about resources and services for psychological well-being in public housing.

Experience and environment: Perception of environmental quality

This article reviews two different approaches to the question about experience and the visual environment. In particular, the issue of the qualities of an adequate environment is discussed and experimental data are presented that support the idea of the existence of an individual and functional relationship between man and environment. Neisser's concept of “perceptual schema” and Gibson's concept of “affordance” appear on the scene to explain why not everybody perceives the same meanings in the same environment. Finally two hypothesized conditions are presented for an adequate environment that takes into account the individual character of users. These environmental conditions are the encouragement by the environment to use it for one's own purposes, and the opportunity to discover personal meaningful uses of the environment.

Perception of environmental quality: Some basic sensory conditions

A general outline of the modes of operation and the sensitivity of the various sense organs is presented: heat, vision, audition, and touch. Special attention is devoted to some adaptive phenomena.

Perceptions of environmental quality

Perceptions of environmental quality

Public Perception of Environmental Quality in Tucson, Arizona

Public Perception of Environmental Quality in Tucson, Arizona

Household characteristics and perception of users towards the environmental changes within community forests in the Dhaulagiri hills of Nepal

This paper investigates how households’ characteristics, in light of community forestry intervention in the Western Hill of Nepal, influence the perception of environmental quality. Two types of data were used in this study, survey data on household’s characteristics and environmental perception from 212 households and individual level survey data. It was found, taking from the evidences from community forestry, that households’ characteristics are associated with perception of environment quality. Perception on environment quality is important from two angles that is firstly, it indicates objective environment quality degradation; secondly, it pave the way for designing the programme aiming to change the environmental behavior of forest users within community forestry.
 
 Key words: environment quality, perception, logistic regression, and variable 
 
 Banko Janakari Vol.16(1) 2006 pp35-40