Current Research

The Ocean Project provides our Partner network with the latest conservation communications research, resources, and recommendations for effectively engaging Partners' target audiences for conservation education and action.

Latest: The first ocean and climate tracking survey was completed in September 2009. With funding from NOAA, we are conducting three more tracking surveys, every six months, to measure changes and test messaging. The next one is planned for March/April 2010 with results posted online shortly thereafter.

Click on the image below to access the survey data, analyses, and presentations.

The ongoing tracking surveys nicely complement the comprehensive research that we completed in late 2008 on public awareness, attitudes, and behaviors concerning the ocean, climate change, and related issues. This survey is quite possibly the largest ever on any environmental issue, with 22,000 American adults surveyed; we also have preliminary data from American youth as well as adults in eight other countries.

 
In 1998/99 The Ocean Project completed what was at the time the most comprehensive opinion research on public attitudes, perceptions, and knowledge of the ocean ever conducted. This survey provided our Partners and the ocean community with the tools to be more effective educators and communicators for conservation. Approximately 10 years later, we are increasing our understanding of how people relate to the ocean, and how to help communicate more effectively about and for conservation. The current also provides a more comprehensive metric for future evaluations. These data will be essential as the institutions, agencies and organizations of the ocean community work together and independently to engage people, inform decision-makers, and enhance ocean literacy.

We plan to regularly update and strategically expand our research to develop a growing and highly detailed database of public awareness, knowledge, and attitudes, and develop recommendations for our Partner network. Every six months in 2009 and 2010, we will conduct ocean tracking surveys.

As part of this initiative, we continue to monitor and synthesize the latest conservation communications literature, qualitative and quantitative opinion research, and related market research and visitor studies. Much of this information can be found on our Conservation Communications Resources page.

As part of our initiative we are conducting both qualitative and quantitative research. The qualitative research will help us better understand the motivations, psychology, and emotions behind segments of the public's attitudes toward the ocean. The quantitative research will provide more quantifiable data related to people’s attitudes, knowledge, and behaviors related to the ocean, and conservation more broadly.

Dissemination of the results: We focus on getting this type of strategic information to our Partner network, as well as the broader ocean conservation community including agencies and organizations. Fostering the integration of the findings into our Partners’ programs is vital to helping develop a more ocean literate society. The Ocean Project works intensively and proactively to communicate with our Partners and engage them in integrating relevant findings and recommendations into their educational and communications efforts with their visitors, and the public, at their facility, in their communities, and online.

Our plan is to advance ocean conservation by increasing the capacity of our Partner network and the wider ocean community to develop into more effective voices for the ocean, the environment, and conservation, and to assist them in building a more environmentally literate and sustainable society.

Thanks to our funders: This national research and dissemination project is funded largely through the Environmental Literacy Grants program at NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration). We have other key funders who make all our work possible. We also gladly accept Sustaining Partner contributions and Supporting Partner contributions.

Citing Our Research: To cite our research simply use the example below and change the publication name, dates, and URL to match the document you're citing:

The Ocean Project. (2009, June). America, the Ocean, and Climate Change: Key Findings. Retrieved June 28th, 2010 from http://theoceanproject.org/resources/America_the_Ocean_and_Climate_Change.php.

The Ocean Project's 1999 Research

Getting the Best Resources for Communicating Conservation

The Ocean Project is continually seeking ways to improve communication for conservation. We are refining and developing strategies and tools, including making our website an even better resource, in order to help all our partners' efforts. If you have suggestions, please contact us.