Public Perceptions of Local Parks and Recreation as an Essential Community Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Local residents are the primary stakeholder for municipal parks and recreation who have the potential to influence funding and policy through their participation, voting, and advocacy. Research has suggested that individuals are more likely to support parks and recreation and view them as essential when they perceive they provide benefits that address their own as well as broader community needs. This panel study investigated Pennsylvania residents and the extent they considered parks and recreation an essential community service during the COVID-19 pandemic. It further assessed the rationale for why parks and recreation were considered either essential or non-essential during this time period. A majority of respondents (54%) felt local parks and recreation were an essential service in their community during the pandemic based primarily on their perceived contributions to physical health, mental health and wellbeing, and the safe provision of recreation opportunities. Conversely, parks and recreation were considered non-essential when they had been closed, when individuals were unsure of what services were actually provided during the pandemic, or they were perceived as unsafe or unsanitary given the presence of COVID-19. Findings provide evidence of the contributions provided by local parks and recreation during the COVID-19 pandemic and suggest influenceable factors associated with perceptions of whether parks and recreation are an essential community service.

Public Perceptions of Legislative Action on Reducing Plastic Pollution: A Case Study of Atlantic Canada

Government-led legislation is a key strategy to reduce plastic pollution; however, societal perception can heavily influence government intervention for environmental issues. To understand the public acceptability of government action to reduce plastic pollution, we examine the perception of existing and upcoming legislative action on single-use plastics by means of a structured survey with additional semi-structured interviews. Our focus is on the four Atlantic provinces of Canada, which was the first region in Canada to implement provincial-wide legislation for plastic reduction at the consumer level in 2019. Results show strong public support (77 %, n = 838) for bans on single-use plastic bags at the consumer level, and for further plastic pollution reduction legislation. However, the level of support differed between regions and by demographics. Semi-structured interviews show that decision-makers should increase efforts in raising consumer awareness and standardizing regulations across jurisdictions for smoother transitions prior to legislative action.

Improving Students' Critical Thinking Skills Against Environmental Problems: Practicum Mini Project "Understanding Public Perceptions of Environmental Problems"

The purpose of this research is to improve students' critical thinking skills towards environmental problems through mini-project practicum activities on the concept of understanding public perceptions of environmental problems. This research is descriptive research using a qualitative approach. The subjects in this study were Semester II class E students who took Environmental Science courses in the Even Semesters of the 2019/2020 Academic Year. The instrument used to measure critical thinking skills using indicators developed by Ennis are 1) Elementary, 2) Clarification Basic Support, 3) Inference, 4) Advanced Clarification, 5) Strategies and Tactics. Results The average critical thinking ability of 20 students is in the medium category (average score of 69.54). Of the 20 students, 10% were in the very high category, 30% in the high category, 25% in the medium category, and 35% in the low category. Indicators of students' critical thinking in 5 aspects, each of which has an average value that is in the medium category

Falling Apart and Coming Together: How Public Perceptions of Leadership Change in Response to Natural Disasters vs. Health Crises

Responding to disruptions and crises are challenges public leaders face as they strive to lead responsibly for the good of the community. The last two years have been especially challenging for public leaders and institutions. In Australia, the federal government battled natural disasters (bushfires) and COVID-19 within the span of only a few months, beginning in late 2019. These events provided the opportunity for a natural experiment to explore public perceptions of leadership in times of crises, with both a natural disaster and health crisis in quick succession. In this study, we develop, validate, and test a scale of perceptions of leadership for the greater good, the Australian Leadership Index, throughout different crisis contexts. We hypothesize and find support for the drivers of perceptions of public leadership and shifts in these perceptions as a function of the bushfire disaster response, a negative shift, and the initial COVID-19 response, a positive shift. Comparisons of the crisis periods against a period of relative stability are made. We discuss the implications of differential media coverage, how the crises were managed, and the resulting public perceptions of leadership for the greater good.

Public Perceptions About Covid-19 Prevention Measures in Ganting Parak Gadang Village, Padang Timur District

Background: The dominant factors that influence Covid-19 prevention behavior can be divided into three domains; knowledge, attitude and action. Knowledge is the result of knowing after people have sensed certain objects. Attitude describes whether a person like or dislike towards an object. Action is a response to a stimulus that is active and observable.Methods: This study aims to determine the public's perception towards Covid 19 Prevention in Ganting Parak Gadang Village, East Padang. The type of research used is the Winshield Survey. The sample used 24 families by random sampling at TNI AD Ganting Parak Gadang dormitory, RW: 08 consists of RT 01,02,03,04,05,06.Results: The results of this research showed that the respondents' perceptions of 100% considered the current situation is seriously in dangerous and should not be considered as trivial cases, 62% of handling COVID-19 carried out preventive behaviors such as maintaining immunity, 71% of people's behavior in worshiping choosing to worship at home, as much as 75% did not go to planned events. Knowledge of respondents 84% still doubted and did not know about the symptoms of covid 19 and as much as 23% did not know about OTG covid 19 is 62% knew from social media.Conclusions: The conclusion in this study are attitude and the highest percentage of preventive actions in the good category compared with the lower percentage of prevention knowledge. The suggestion in the study is that the public is expected to maintain health protocols by continuing to follow government recommendations in efforts to prevent Covid-19.

Public Perceptions on the Procedural Values and Proposed Outcomes of the Finnish Climate Change Act Amendment

This article examines the public perceptions on the drafting process of Finnish Climate Act amendment, which is a legislation on the climate policy that aims to mitigate climate change and secure adaptive capacity. In this paper we present results of a thematic analysis, which reveals citizens' perceptions of the procedural values, with respect to transparency, participation, and acceptance, and the objectives of the amendment, such as the climate neutrality target for 2035. The research data consisted of 2,458 answers to a citizen survey on the Finnish Climate Change Act amendment. Our results reveal that the opinions of citizens ranged from highlighting the urgency of political action to climate denials, with varying perceptions on process and proposed outcomes. While over half of citizens felt positively about the 2035 climate neutrality target created in the Climate Change Amendment Act, only a third believed that there was appropriate opportunity for public participation in the amendment process. Based on these findings, we suggest that participatory and transparent processes in legislative drafting are prerequisites for the sustainability transition and the implementation of international climate mitigation targets.

Artificial Intelligent Technologies for the Construction Industry: How Are They Perceived and Utilized in Australia?

Artificial intelligence (AI) is a powerful technology that can be utilized throughout a construction project lifecycle. Transition to incorporate AI technologies in the construction industry has been delayed due to the lack of know-how and research. There is also a knowledge gap regarding how the public perceives AI technologies, their areas of application, prospects, and constraints in the construction industry. This study aims to explore AI technology adoption prospects and constraints in the Australian construction industry by analyzing social media data. This study adopted social media analytics, along with sentiment and content analyses of Twitter messages (n = 7906), as the methodological approach. The results revealed that: (a) robotics, internet-of-things, and machine learning are the most popular AI technologies in Australia; (b) Australian public sentiments toward AI are mostly positive, whilst some negative perceptions exist; (c) there are distinctive views on the opportunities and constraints of AI among the Australian states/territories; (d) timesaving, innovation, and digitalization are the most common AI prospects; and (e) project risk, security of data, and lack of capabilities are the most common AI constraints. This study is the first to explore AI technology adoption prospects and constraints in the Australian construction industry by analyzing social media data. The findings inform the construction industry on public perceptions and prospects and constraints of AI adoption. In addition, it advocates the search for finding the most efficient means to utilize AI technologies. The study helps public perceptions and prospects and constraints of AI adoption to be factored in construction industry technology adoption.

Public Perceptions of Child Pornography and Child Pornography Consumers

Understanding the public’s perceptions of child pornography helps identify gaps in awareness and knowledge, impacts legislative decision making, quantifies stigmatization, and provides a baseline for identifying differences between lay and offender populations for clinical purposes. This research provides a comprehensive public survey assessing these issues. An Internet-based sample of 524 adults (mean age = 47 years, 51% female) within the USA were asked about their understanding and beliefs related to child pornography and individuals who view child pornography. The questions covered three topic areas—general perceptions of child pornography, endorsement of child pornography beliefs, and opinions related to the legality of various forms of child pornography as well as the decision making related to sentencing and sex offender registration for child pornography consumers. The research found that the public viewed these offenses as more severe than most other crimes and that there was an overestimation by the public of risks related to recidivism and contact offending. Additionally, the research found that there was support for most of the current sentencing guidelines in the USA, including sex offender registration, and that there was limited support for treatment over incarceration.

People’s Behavior of North Indralaya of Ogan Ilir Against Wetland Fires

Konversi lahan dari fungsi aslinya mengakibatkan dampak negatif berupa kebakaran akibat aktivitas penebangan untuk membuka lahan yang dilakukan manusia. Salah satu lokasi kebakaran lahan basah di Provinsi Sumatera Selatan terjadi pada area seluas 3,925 ha di Kabupaten Ogan Ilir di tahun 2018. Kelalaian manusia yang seringkali melakukan pembukaan lahan dengan cara membakar menyebabkan kebakaran lahan basah. Kurangnya pengetahuan, informasi dan sanksi juga menjadi alasan masyarakat tidak perduli terhadap dampak yang ditimbulkan dari kegiatan membakar lahan. Dalam theory of planned behavior, perilaku tersusun dari keyakinan dan evaluasi seseorang untuk menumbuhkan sikap, norma subjektif, dan kontrol perilaku sebagai mediator terbentuknya niat. Desain penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian bersifat kualitatif dengan pendekatan deskriptif, yaitu mengkaji dan menganalisis persepsi masyarakat terhadap kejadian kebakaran di lahan basah Ogan Ilir Sumatera Selatan. Informan penelitian berjumlah 16 orang yang terdiri dari 12 informan kunci dan 4 informan ahli. Informan kunci dipilih berdasarkan kriteria kepemilikan tanah, lokasi tempat tinggal dan mata pencaharian utama yang berdomisi di Desa Palem Raya dan Kelurahan Timbangan, Kecamatan Indralaya Utara. Empat orang informan ahli ialah Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD), Camat Indralaya Utara, dan dua orang kepala desa/lurah. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa sikap terhadap perilaku, norma subjektif, dan persepsi kontrol mendorong terbentuknya niat masyarakat Kecamatan Indralaya Utara untuk tidak melakukan pembakaran lahan. Sejak 2019, masyarakat tidak lagi membuka lahan dengan cara dibakar karena sudah ada peraturan pemerintah yang tegas sehingga dapat mengendalikan perilaku masyarakat dalam membakar lahan.ABSTRACT Land conversion from its original function resulted in negative impacts in the form of fires due to logging activities to clear land by humans. One of wetland fires located in South Sumatera Province is happened to 3,925 ha area on Ogan Ilir District in 2018. Human negligence which often clears land by burning caused of wetland fires. Lack of knowledge, information and sanctions are also reasons why people don't care about the impact of land burning activities. The theory of planned behavior states that behavior is composed of individual belief and evaluation to foster attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral control as mediators of intention. The research design used in this study is qualitative with a descriptive approach, which is to examine and analyze public perceptions of the occurrence of fires in the Ogan Ilir wetlands of South Sumatera. The research informants are 16 persons consisted 12 key informants and 4 expert informants. Key informants are choosen by land ownership, the main livelihood, and residence location which all come from Palem Raya and Timbangan Village. Four expert informants are the representative of Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Subdistrict Head of North Indralaya, and two Village Head. The results showed that attitudes, subjective norms, and behavioral control encourage community’s intention in North Indralaya for not doing land fire anymore. Since 2019, community did not open the land by burning because of the strict regulation by government so that can control behavior related land fire.