Project

Migration, Climate Change, and Sustainability Attitudes

Researchers and policymakers have largely failed to consider climate-induced migration. In particular, little academic work has examined public perceptions of the causes and consequences of climate migration. This project seeks to redress this gap in the literature linking climate change and migration by investigating:

  • How does exposure to migration affect support for actions to address the threat of climate change?
  • Are the publics more likely to perceive climate migration as a threat when previous waves of migration are highly salient?
  • How do individual experiences of extreme climate events affect perceptions of climate migration?

We measure these effects with a cross-national survey experiment, including respondents from countries with varying levels of development, migration, and climate change (U.S., India, Germany, and Nigeria).

Grant Result

Around the world, extreme weather events associated with climate change are causing massive population displacements. Understanding public opinion about climate migrants can help governments design more effective climate mitigation and adaptation policies.

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Sabrina Arias

Doctoral Student
Sabrina Arias is a Ph.D. student studying international relations in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.

Christopher Blair

Doctoral Student
Christopher Blair is a Ph.D. student studying international relations in the School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania.