Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Environmental Impact Of Immigration In The United States, Guizhen Ma

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Population growth increases pressure on the environment. Immigration may be harmful to the environment because it is the major force of population growth in the United States. However, this argument has not been supported by research findings. A few studies on this topic show that locations with higher numbers of immigrants experience better air quality than locations with greater proportions of U.S.-born residents. This research investigated the environmental impact of immigration through three independent studies. First, I tested the relationship between U.S.-born population, foreign-born population, and air quality across all the U.S. continental counties. This study analyzed the air quality …

Interpreting Risk: Variations And Explanations Of Resident Perceptions Of Hydraulic Fracturing Impacts, Adrian B. Uzunian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hydraulic fracturing has increasingly become a global phenomenon that has induced the public to be suspicious of the impacts of this process. As this new process has been fraught with controversy, it is important to gain further understanding of how different people perceive the risks associated with oil and gas development. Focusing on the Eagle Ford Shale region, located in South Texas, I examine how social position and source of information is related to perception of environmental and health risks. I do this by conducting a qualitative analysis of interviews from two counties experiencing hydraulic fracturing development, examining the most …

Utah Angler Specialization And Its Relationship To Environmental Attitudes And Angler Motivations, Joseph W. Unger Iii

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

For this research, I sampled 10,000 anglers who purchased a Utah fishing or fishing/hunting combination license from January through November, 2011. An online survey link was provided to the potential participants during November-December, 2011, to determine levels of specialization, motivations for fishing, and environmental awareness/concern. Anglers were also compared to a sample from the general public to compare the two groups’ feelings toward several practices taking place on public lands. Finally, anglers were divided into consumptive and nonconsumptive subgroups to compare the environmental attitudes of these two groups.

Three angler specialization groups were identified from the sample of respondents. Anglers …

Probing The Mechanics Of Environmental Kuznets Curve Theory, Jeremy Lynn Kidd

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The theory of the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) proposes to answer important questions regarding the connections between economic growth (development) and the environment. The theory postulates the environment need not always suffer as the economy develops, and it has generated strong support and opposition. Rather than attempting to defend or debunk EKC theory, this research challenges a practice engaged in by proponents and opponents alike. Simplifying assumptions are a necessary part of economic analysis, but this research shows that any assumptions may not be universally applicable. Utilizing, in turn, a simple one-good model and then a more complicated two-good model, …

Dichotemies Of The Human Perception Of The Environment, Janet K. Robson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Environmentalism was not introduced in the year 1991, nor was it introduced with the era of the sixties. Perhaps, it is best to say that environmentalism has existed since the dawn of time--an environmentalism consisting of a "hands-off" policy. However, movements based on the environment have experienced an evolution in the past 30 years pertaining to the nature of preservation of wilderness areas and natural resources.