Abstract:

The objective of this data collection is to study communication and influence during disaster response, with special emphasis on social networks and contexts as they condition the emotional responses of individuals in Louisiana most affected by the BP oil spill. The data were collected in the fall of 2011 using respondents from the coastal communities from Grand Isle, Louisiana and north, and Venice, Louisiana and north. The dataset uses an experimental manipulation of a 'name generator' question to determine not only the kinds of individuals utilized during disaster response, but also to determine if these individuals are substantively different from those used for other more general purposes. An experimental manipulation of the emotional response questions was also included. A subset of the dataset are re-interviews from a dataset collected approximately one year prior. In total, the resulting dataset has 897 respondents. The snowball survey design from the name generator questions produced a companion dataset of 104 individuals named by respondents as discussants during this time.

Suggested Citation:

Christopher Kenny. 2015. Respondent Dataset, subjective information on how social influence works during an oil spill, coastal communities of Grand Isle and Venice, Louisiana, 2011.. Distributed by: GRIIDC, Harte Research Institute, Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi. doi:10.7266/N7NV9G6T

Purpose:

The dataset was developed to address three primary research questions: (1) What is the dynamic nature of social communication during a potentially long-lasting disaster such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico? How do the patterns of social interaction and communication change as the recovery from the disaster proceeds? How do the behavioral, emotional, and attitudinal reactions change during this recovery? (2) How are social networks that are constructed in response to a disaster different from networks of political communication? (3) How does the stimulus of an election campaign intersect with the lingering stimulus of the oil spill disaster? Do the attitudes, behaviors, and emotions stimulated by the oil spill translate into reactions with meaningful political content in the subsequent national elections?

Data Parameters and Units:

The dataset is made up of 897 respondents from communities affected by the BP oil spill. It includes questions measuring emotional responses to the disaster as well as questions about the people utilized to discuss important matters and matters concerning the oil spill. It also includes respondent information on blame attribution, information sources, personal and community well-being, and political items such as party identification, political efficacy, and political behavior.

Individual Files: