An application of biotechnology that has been rapidly matured under the last ten years is genetically modified food. The deliberative release of GMO faces the challenge of complying with sustainable development and implies a precautionary approach to all possible risk involved. This study purpose is to investigate the problems of risks concerning deliberative release of GMO and to define the question of responsibility. These two themes, risk and responsibility, are discussed in relation to society, citizens, corporations andscience. A more profound understanding of the relation between risk and responsibility in the GMO context could contribute to the sensitivity and deliberation in bio-politics, so it better can cope with democratic governance, public debate and risk deliberations. Politicians and other decisions-makers have a responsibility to assure that they have sufficient knowledge and understanding for the issue at hand before taking any decision. A responsible bio-politics departs from the precautionary principle in decisions making, gaining knowledge in dialogue with concerned GMO actors and tries to correspond to sustainable development. Hence, knowledge and understanding is needed which are reached in dialogue with other parties in order to allowed values, attitudes and knowledge to be deliberate more extensively.

This thesis analyzes the coastal landscape evaluation that is strongly rooted in the man-environment tradition. Scenery is a natural resource and managers need to attempt the evaluation of scenic resources in an objective and quantitative way that can be utilized mainly in landscape preservation and protection. The thesis will try to find an objective way in evaluation of the coastal scenery by using fuzzy logic mathematics and public perception studies. Using mathematical model developed within the frame work of the present study the selected 22 sites in Turkey were evaluated and then classified.

The research programme was relevant to urban planning and in particular to the design of stormwater management schemes that are more environmentally and socially acceptable. It examined social and perception issues relating to stormwater management techniques within residential areas, and in particular to the application of SUDS, mainly ponds, and river management schemes. The thesis arose from a project funded by the Environment Agency of England and Wales through SNIFFER under a programme titled “Social impacts o f stormwater management techniques including river management and SUDS”, SNIFFER Code: SUDS01. The public perception of construction is becoming a matter of increasing importance both in the UK and internationally since socio-economic parameters and public consultation both have to be taken into consideration in the planning and implementation of relevant projects. This research programme endeavoured to match the relevant legislative goals with society’s actual needs. The main aims of the research programme were to obtain an in-depth understanding and knowledge of the perceptions of popular stormwater management practices (SUDS and river management), and to evaluate these techniques from a social perspective. To satisfy these aims the following objectives were set: • To assess public awareness and perceptions of SUDS (particularly retention ponds) in the UK; • To assess professional perceptions of SUDS in the UK; • To assess perceptions of different stormwater management techniques, in three European cities; • To compare perceptions of different stormwater management techniques, SUDS and river management practices; • To link the research findings with trends in perceptions of nature and water. To meet the programme’s aims and to satisfy the objectives, the perceptions of SUDS in the UK (principally ponds) were investigated over a wide range of locations. In addition, the different river management approaches used in three heavily urbanised European cities, Glasgow, London, and Athens were investigated. The results of this research programme provide a means to understand perceptions of stormwater management and to appreciate what types of schemes will be more readily accepted by the public. The research has shown that members of the public hold strong views as to what they like or dislike about SUDS and water management installations in their local area, in spite of the fact that there were demonstrably low levels of public awareness of SUDS. The amenity, recreational value and aesthetics of new schemes seem to be of major importance for public acceptability, while function, efficiency, and maintenance are primarily important in areas facing flooding problems. Other key findings include the fact that there is a general preference for sustainable urban water management and for river restoration schemes compared with more conventional, ‘hard engineering’ approaches, such as culverting of rivers. This preference was expressed both by members of the public and by professionals involved in their planning and implementation. Another important result was that although unfamiliarity can produce negativity, education can influence attitudes positively even in sensitive issues such as safety, and can be used by authorities and planners as a means of enhancing the acceptability of new schemes. Consequently, the results of the surveys can be used as arguments towards the application of informative campaigns which should be taken into account prior to scheme implementation. This information can be utilised not only for stormwater management design, but also for other environmentally friendly constructions which the public may have a low level of awareness. Recommendations are made with respect to public and professional attitudes for improving the public acceptability of new and modified stormwater management systems. Recommendations and barriers to the uptake outlined in this thesis mainly refer to the appearance of schemes rather than technical issues. They are therefore of most use as guidance for improving aesthetics and increasing public acceptability. The outcomes of this research will be of use to policy makers, water companies, local authorities, environment agencies, planners, developers, consultants active in urban development, and researchers in applying wider-accepted practices for the assessment of public perception. Some findings from this research have been presented at several stakeholders’ meetings, at 4 conferences, and are published in the form of papers and reports, including the DTI SR 622 report titled “An Assessment of the Social Impacts of Sustainable Drainage Systems in the UK”, and the Environment Agency & SNIFFER report, SUDS01, 2005, titled “Social Impacts of stormwater management techniques including river management and SUDS”. This publication also constitutes Environment Agency R&D Technical report P2-258.

The purpose of this study was to explore how racial bias affects perceptions of intimate partner violence (IPV). Public perceptions of IPV have been studied under numerous contexts to ascertain how characteristics of victim and the offender can affect these attitudes. A portion of this body of research has been dedicated to understanding the role of race in perceptions of IPV and a large portion of the findings have been mixed due to the interaction of biases and attitudes about race and IPV. Very few studies have looked at multiple forms of IPV in comparison with one another while also studying the sole effect of racial bias on these attitudes. This study aimed to explore how racial bias affects perceptions of multiple forms of IPV. Through a survey design that utilized vignettes to present three forms of IPV, participants were randomly assigned to one of four racial dyads for the offender and victim in the vignette and then asked a series of questions about the vignette that measured perceptions of seriousness of the scenario, offender and victim culpability, and punitiveness of punishment. Participants’ attitudes towards domestic violence, racial bias, and violence in general were also measured using known attitudinal scales. The final sample consisted of 401 participants who were recruited through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and completed the online survey. Findings from this study suggested a role of racial bias on the sample’s perceptions of the seriousness of the scenario, offender culpability, and labeling the vignette a violation of the law.

This thesis tests a new theory about the role that public perceptions on target populations play in designing homeless policies - as demonstrated through the Homeless Policy Design Model. The theory and model present an expansion of theories on the target populations and policy design from Lowi (1972), Ingram, Schneider and Deleon (2007); and Schneider and Ingram (1993). The model is tested through a case study of homeless policy in Seattle, WA from 2007 to 2016 and the correlating perceptions of the homeless generated through the rhetoric of the political elite and the general public. The homeless policy design model indicates that the public's perceptions about homeless target populations will impact policy design choices. Through qualitative research methods, the thesis finds that there is a recognizable correlation between how the public views the homeless and what type of policy the Seattle City Council passed from 2007 to 2016.

Improving intersection safety and efficiency are the primary goals of alternative intersection designs. These designs seek to improve on traditional traffic control methods, often by reducing intersection conflict points, reducing or eliminating time-wasting signal phases, or both. However, public opposition to these new designs can be a large barrier to implementation of alternative intersections despite their known safety and efficiency benefits.<br><br>This study evaluated current public perception and factors influencing that perception for four alternative intersection designs - the roundabout, the restricted crossing U-turn (also known as J-turn and reduced conflict intersection), the displaced left turn (also known as the continuous flow intersection), and the diverging diamond interchange (also known as the double crossover diamond interchange). <br><br>To achieve this objective, a survey instrument was designed and distributed to a target sample of 1,000 adults residing in the State of Indiana. The survey solicited participant awareness of these designs, acceptance of a potential implementation of the design in their community, and driver confidence using the design along with participant socio-demographic data. Descriptive and inferential statistical analysis was then conducted. <br><br>The survey results indicate that residents of Indiana are not aware of designs not currently widely implemented in the state, that opposition to these rarer designs is prominent, and that drivers were generally less confident in their ability to safely navigate these unfamiliar designs. Younger respondents, male respondents, more highly educated respondents, respondents who travel more often or for farther distances, and respondents who rate their own driving ability highly are more likely to be aware, accepting, and confident using alternative designs. <br><br>The results of this study will inform future outreach efforts pertaining to alternative intersections by improving transportation agency understanding of public opinions and primary concerns regarding these designs and provide potential paths for improving public perception. <br>

Waste-to-Energy incineration (WtE), coupled with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), especially Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), suggest a way to simultaneously retrieve energy from the otherwise disposed waste and reduce CO2 emissions. Independent of one another, WtE, CCS, and BECCS are implemented in a few regions of the world, but their joint diffusion is uncommon in comparison. Regardless of how the future of their combined implementation unfolds, social acceptance is almost certainly expected to play a role in their diffusion. This thesis categorically identified overlaps and contrasts between factors that have been subjects of investigation in public acceptance research on WtE and CCS/BECCS’s social acceptance using Huijts et al’s (2012) energy technology acceptance framework. To allocate peer-reviewed international literature from the two fields for analysis, a systematic literature review was conducted. The results revealed that WtE and CCS/BECCS studies most commonly measured the public’s wide array of emotional experiences regarding the respective technologies and addressed their knowledge and experience with the technologies to the smallest degree. Energy technology projects are bound to attract emotionally charged responses, thus the commonality to address affect makes probing for emotional responses possible. Whereas knowledge can be difficult to measure due to its subjectivity. Factors that were commonly measured in one field but not in the other included public perceptions of fairness, trust, and climate change. The findings provided a comprehensive overview of factors to take into consideration when collecting public opinions on a WtE incineration facility that is coupled with CCS technology.

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