Environmental awareness and vulnerability in the Yellow River Delta: Results based on a comprehensive household survey

Abstract

In this paper, we present the results of a comprehensive survey concerning environmental awareness and vulnerability, conducted in October 2013 in the Yellow River Delta, China. The purpose of this survey is to provide insight to the vulnerability of rural households and their livelihoods to internal and external threats, such as flooding, oil spills, droughts, erosion, and salinization. Education level, awareness, opinions regarding pollution and available public utilities and facilities are also polled. Specific questions regarding agriculture and aquaculture activities are included. It is the most comprehensive questionnaire regarding social vulnerability in the area to date, with 93 households interviewed with the aid of an interpreter. The results show that the respondents generally have a low education; many earn below minimum wage for the area, and are not aware of global processes of climate variability and sea level rise. Cotton and maize are the predominant agriculture crops farmed in the area, while ground salinization is a major threat to agriculture. The results of this survey can be used in a follow up study in conjunction with a separate spatial data analysis (e.g. earth observation, census) to assess the social vulnerability in the Yellow River Delta in a spatially representative fashion.