Changing Public Behavior –

Increasing Citizen Involvement Through Use of Target Audience Information

Elaine Andrews, MAT, MS; Director, University of Wisconsin Extension Environmental Resources Center

Kate Reilly, MS, Outreach Program Manager, University of Wisconsin Extension Environmental Resources Center

A new USDA Cooperative Extension project, Changing Public Behavior, focuses on preparing water resource professionals to apply education and social science research in new and creative ways to encourage the public to adopt environmentally friendly habits. If the goals of outreach are to 1) effectively change public behavior in ways conducive to the better management of water resources, and 2) provide communities with the skills required to manage water resources themselves for the long term and/or know where and how to seek help in doing so -- then it follows that outreach educators need to develop a familiarity with the individuals and communities with which they work. This project, coordinated by the University of Wisconsin Extension, provides online and workshop resources to help water educators focus on local interests and conditions when encouraging people to take environmentally appropriate actions in their home, business, organization, or community. Project resources build on a previous analysis of research findings about education with relevant audiences, and include an analysis of social assessment tools with potential for application by natural resource professionals. In this session we will introduce project resources and invite discussion for how to most effectively collect and apply information about audiences when developing an outreach or education initiative. Discussion outcomes will help inform Water Outreach Web site content. Project background and resources are available at http://wateroutreach.uwex.edu/CPBhomepage.cfm