This study examines the social-psychological determinants of climate-related civic engagement among residents of Lake Superior’s nature-based, tourism-dependent North Shore region in Minnesota. Specifically, it assesses the influence of two dimensions of community attachment (social and environmental) and environmental concern on civic engagement. Data were collected using a self-administered mail survey of 1000 residents in the two Lake Superior watersheds that constitute the majority of the North Shore region. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Findings indicate that residents’ social attachment to their communities is a significant predictor of their climate-related civic engagement. Further, their environmental attachment—while not by itself a predictor--is significantly related to heightened concern about the impacts of climate change on the local environment, which is a significant predictor of residents’ civic engagement. These findings reinforce a two-dimensional understanding of community attachment and they are pertinent for natural resource professionals and community leaders tasked with engaging residents in climate-mitigating or –adaptive actions. They suggest that programmatic outcomes may be enhanced by accentuating the local social and economic consequences of climate change, and the impacts to local natural resources. This may be especially valuable in nature tourism-based economies where altered climatic conditions could more drastically impact the economic well-being of communities.

这项研究调查了明尼苏达州苏必利尔湖以自然为基础，依赖旅游业的北岸地区居民中与气候有关的公民参与的社会心理决定因素。具体而言，它评估了社区依恋的两个维度（社会和环境）和环境关注对公民参与的影响。使用自我管理的邮件调查收集了数据，该调查对构成北岸地区大部分地区的两个苏必利尔湖流域的1000名居民进行了调查。使用结构方程模型分析数据。调查结果表明，居民对社区的社会依恋是他们与气候相关的公民参与的重要预测因素。进一步，当地环境，这是居民公民参与程度的重要预测指标。这些发现加强了人们对社区依恋的二维理解，并且与负责使居民参与缓解气候变化或适应行动的自然资源专业人员和社区领导人相关。他们认为，通过强调气候变化对当地社会和经济的影响以及对当地自然资源的影响，可以提高计划成果。在以自然旅游为基础的经济中，这可能尤其有价值，因为在自然经济中，气候条件的改变可能会更加严重地影响社区的经济福祉。