Residents' receptivity to sea level rise adaptations on Tybee Island

Infrastructure, residences, and businesses on Tybee Island are vulnerable to sea level rise (SLR). Tybee Island is a national leader in climate adaptation planning, and although their 2016 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan sought public input for adaptation options, the next step is to specifically assess residents risk perceptions or adaptation preferences. This is important for planning because it 1) facilitates the development of politically palatable policy and 2) identifies opportunities for targeted outreach. This thesis describes results from a pilot study using Rogers Protection Motivation Theory as a theoretical framework to assess Tybee residents perceptions of SLR risks and receptivity to SLR adaptation strategies. Results showed that residents perceived a very high risk from SLR but felt unable to implement adaptation strategies, suggesting a need for Tybees government to inform residents about SLR adaptations and boost peoples confidence in their effectiveness, and the communitys ability to undertake them.