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The National Science Foundation funded Great Lakes Regional Climate Change Education Project is implementing a two year planning effort to create innovative education programs to benefit the public, formal and informal educators (museum, zoo, aquarium, community and agencies), scientists, and journalists in the region. To support this effort, an information gathering process, this survey, is being used to provide the project team with a needs assessment from engaged members of those communities. No personal information from individual survey respondents will be released in any way, and the answers you provide will be summarized with those of many other individuals to identify "best strategies" to inform these various professionals and the public regarding the science of climate change in the Great Lakes Region. This project has been approved by the Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research at Ashland University, Ashland, Ohio. For questions about this IRB, please contact Dr. Howard Walters at hwalters@ashland.edu. Submitting answers to this survey indicates that you are voluntarily participating in this needs assessment, and you understand that no personally identifiable information linked to you will be released or disclosed. The project team thanks you, in advance, for taking the time to complete the following questions.
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Section 1. The following questions pertain to your understanding of climate science and climate change.
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1
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What is climate change?
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2
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If human civilization had never developed on Earth, would there be a greenhouse effect?
| Yes, the greenhouse effect is caused by naturally occurring gases. |
| Yes, the greenhouse effect is caused by plants giving off gases. |
| No, the greenhouse effect is caused by humans burning fossil fuels. |
| No, the greenhouse effect is caused by humans depleting ozone. |
| No, there is no conclusive evidence that a greenhouse effect exists. |
| I do not know. |
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3
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Which of the following statements about global warming over the past 50 years most closely reflects your viewpoint?
| Global warming over the past 50 years is mostly caused by human activities. |
| Global warming over the past 50 years is mostly caused by natural processes. |
| Global warming has not really occurred over the past 50 years. |
| I do not know. |
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4
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Which description best represents your understanding of how the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has changed over the past 500 years?
| No change. |
| Linear increase. |
| Linear decrease. |
| Exponential increase. |
| Exponential decrease. |
| I do not know. |
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5
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Which comes closer to your own view?
| Most scientists think global warming is happening. |
| Most scientists think global warming is not happening. |
| Scientists generally disagree about whether or not global warming is happening. |
| I do not know. |
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6
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The sun mainly gives off which two forms of energy?
| ultraviolet and x-ray |
| ultraviolet and infrared |
| visible and ultraviolet |
| infrared and visible |
| radio and infrared |
| I do not know |
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7
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Which of the following best describes the relationship between the greenhouse effect and global warming?
| The greenhouse effect and global warming are likely the same thing. |
| Without the greenhouse effect, there would be almost no global warming. |
| Without global warming, there would be almost no greenhouse effect. |
| There is no definite proof that either the greenhouse effect or global warming exists. |
| I do not know. |
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8
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The "greenhouse effect" refers to:
| Gases in the atmosphere that absorb infrared energy. |
| Gases in the atmosphere that absorb ultraviolet energy. |
| Gases in the atmosphere that cause rain to become acidic. |
| Gases in the atmosphere that are produced as plants grow. |
| I do not know. |
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9
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Overall, how confident do you feel about your understanding of climate change?
| Not at all confident. |
| A little confident. |
| Somewhat confident. |
| Very confident. |
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10
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What conditions of the climate patterns are predicted in the Great Lakes?
| Colder and drier. |
| Colder and more humid. |
| Warmer and drier. |
| Warmer and more humid. |
| I do not know. |
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11
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Which of the following states/provinces are on the borders of the Great Lakes (click all that apply)?
| Illinois |
| Michigan |
| New York |
| Pennsylvania |
| Vermont |
| Quebec (Canada) |
| Ontario (Canada) |
| Minnesota |
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Section 2. The following questions pertain to the professional concerns or perspectives of informal educators in community and agency organizations.
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12
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How many years have you been in the informal education field?
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13
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What is your current job title?
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14
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What is the ZIP CODE where you currently work?
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15
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In what type of program/agency/organization do you work?
| 4-H Youth Development |
| Library |
| Scouting |
| Church/Religious |
| State Government Agency |
| Federal Government Agency |
| City Government |
| Watershed Council |
| Extension |
| Other, please specify |
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16
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Which of the following types of climate change projects have you developed or implemented? (Choose all that apply.)
| Exhibits |
| Lectures |
| Demonstrations |
| Workshops or Activities |
| Online Resources |
| Written Brochures |
| Lesson Plans (for distribution) |
| Mall Exhibits |
| Other, please specify |
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17
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Would you be interested in working on a project on climate change?
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18
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For how many years has climate change been part of your informal education work?
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19
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Which age groups have these climate change projects primarily targeted? (Choose all that apply.)
| Youth 0-5 years old |
| Youth 6-12 years old |
| Youth 13-17 years old |
| Adults 18-30 years old |
| Adults 31-65 years old |
| Adults 65+ |
| Professional groups |
| Other, please specify |
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