TITLE:
Climate Change Awareness and Perception amongst the Inhabitants of Muscat Governorate, Oman
AUTHORS:
Ali Said Al Buloshi, Elnazir Ramadan
KEYWORDS:
Climate Change, Awareness, Perception, Survey, Sultanate of Oman
JOURNAL NAME:
American Journal of Climate Change,
Vol.4 No.4,
August
19,
2015
ABSTRACT: Public awareness and knowledge on climate change constitute essential background to deal with climate change and related problems. Alongside this background, this study assesses the awareness and quality of knowledge regarding climate change in Muscat governorate, Oman. A survey of 350 randomly sampled respondents was conducted using a standard questionnaire. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection. This questionnaire was administered to respondents who were evenly distributed among the six divisions (Wilayat) of Muscat governorate in Oman while descriptive statistics were the main analysis techniques. Results have revealed that public awareness is fairly high despite some limitations on the knowledge on the causes and prevention of climate change. Regression analysis finds that gender, years of education, and income are significant factors that determine the level of awareness. Climate change is an area that is in need of publicity to help the public make informed decisions in its adaptation and mitigation. Results further indicate that most of the respondents have fair general knowledge about the subject.