Public Understanding of Air Quality Issues in Texas: Phases I, II, & III

Funders: Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) & Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)

For 2001, the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) and the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy (ISTPP) at Texas A&M University were contracted to gather baseline information that was used to develop a public awareness program on air quality issues in Texas. In order to develop a more effective campaign, TxDOT needed to learn how people in different communities across Texas think about air quality issues. TxDOT wanted to know, for example, how seriously the public perceived air quality issues, what individual citizens are willing to do to clean the air in Texas, and what organizations currently are doing or planning to do to improve air quality. To gather this information, ISTPP interviewed over 100 community leaders and decision makers in all nonattainment and near-nonattainment communities in Texas. Communities are designated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as nonattainment or near-nonattainment areas based on the local air quality. ISTPP also conducted a state-wide survey of citizens. This Phase I information formed the bases for the development of the Drive Clean Across Texas (DCAT) campaign, which was launched March 25, 2002.

ISTPP and TTI partnered again in 2003 (Phase II) and 2005 (Phase III) to conduct two follow-up surveys (T2 and T3) to assist TxDOT and TCEQ in the evaluation of the DCAT air quality campaign. Time 2 follow-up and evaluation was performed in late summer and early fall of 2003, and Time 3 follow-up and evaluation was performed in late summer and early fall of 2005.

The PI is Dr. Brian Bochner (TTI). The Phase I ISTPP research team included Dr. Arnold Vedlitz (ISTPP director/political science); Dr. Letitia Alston (sociology), Dr. B. Mitchell Peck (sociology); Dr. Eric Lindquist (political science); Dr. Nandita Chaudhuri (political science), Nell Frazer Lindquist, Meg Patterson Rogers, Monica Holder, Stacey Allison, Kami Jones, and Charlie Hemmeline. The Phase II ISTPP research team included Dr. Arnold Vedlitz, Dr. Letitia Alston, and B. Mitchell Peck. The Phase III ISTPP research team included Dr. Arnold Vedlitz, Dr. Letitia Alston, Dr. Sammy Zahran (sociology), and Belinda Bragg (political science).