Public preferences for sea-level rise adaptation vary depending on strategy, community, and perceiver characteristics

Communities need to implement adaptation strategies to prepare for the challenges posed by rising sea levels. In the U.S., federal funding will be required to support coastal communities’ adaptation, yet little is known about what the general public thinks about different sea-level rise adaptation strategies. In two studies, we investigated how support for different broad categories of adaptation strategies (managed retreat, resistance, accommodation, rebuilding in place) varied among Americans. We hypothesized that perceiver characteristics (e.g., political ideology) and the framing of community characteristics (risk and resilience) would predict support for adaptation. In Study 1 (N = 368), we asked participants to report their strategy preferences for a community in their own locale, then randomly assigned them to read about a hypothetical community which varied in terms of risk and resilience. People were much more willing to support adaptation strategies in high-risk communities. Strategy support was predicted by political ideology, eminent domain beliefs, and climate change concern. In Study 2 (N = 1048), we sought to extend our findings by collecting data from a nationally representative sample. We manipulated community framings of social capital and resources, but these framings related to resilience had little effect on strategy support. However, perceiver characteristics mattered, for instance, eminent domain endorsement predicted support for managed retreat. Across both studies, participants supported adaptation and opposed rebuilding without changes. We describe the ways these findings might be used by policymakers, and the implications of the research for communicators.