How is climate change risk perception shaped? The role of risk framing, external incentives, and personal norms in agriculture
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As climate change continues to intensify, the agricultural sector is increasingly exposed to environmental risks such as extreme weather events, prolonged droughts, and shifting growing seasons. These risks have significant implications for the resilience and sustainability of agricultural systems, particularly for arable farming which is highly dependent on weather conditions. However, farmers’ responses to climate change risks vary greatly. Understanding how farmers perceive these risks and what drives their perceptions, is crucial for designing effective adaptation strategies and risk governance mechanisms (Grothmann & Patt, 2005; Mitter et al., 2019). This study addresses the question: “How do arable farmers shape their climate change risk perceptions?”
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The Dutch version of the Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire is an appropriate instrument for measuring patients' perceptions in acute low back pain patients, showing acceptable internal consistency and reliability. Concurrent validity is adequate, however, the instrument may be unsuitable for detecting changes in low back pain perception over time.
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Receiving the first “Rijbewijs” is always an exciting moment for any teenager, but, this also comes with considerable risks. In the Netherlands, the fatality rate of young novice drivers is five times higher than that of drivers between the ages of 30 and 59 years. These risks are mainly because of age-related factors and lack of experience which manifests in inadequate higher-order skills required for hazard perception and successful interventions to react to risks on the road. Although risk assessment and driving attitude is included in the drivers’ training and examination process, the accident statistics show that it only has limited influence on the development factors such as attitudes, motivations, lifestyles, self-assessment and risk acceptance that play a significant role in post-licensing driving. This negatively impacts traffic safety. “How could novice drivers receive critical feedback on their driving behaviour and traffic safety? ” is, therefore, an important question. Due to major advancements in domains such as ICT, sensors, big data, and Artificial Intelligence (AI), in-vehicle data is being extensively used for monitoring driver behaviour, driving style identification and driver modelling. However, use of such techniques in pre-license driver training and assessment has not been extensively explored. EIDETIC aims at developing a novel approach by fusing multiple data sources such as in-vehicle sensors/data (to trace the vehicle trajectory), eye-tracking glasses (to monitor viewing behaviour) and cameras (to monitor the surroundings) for providing quantifiable and understandable feedback to novice drivers. Furthermore, this new knowledge could also support driving instructors and examiners in ensuring safe drivers. This project will also generate necessary knowledge that would serve as a foundation for facilitating the transition to the training and assessment for drivers of automated vehicles.
Movebite aims to combat the issue of sedentary behavior prevalent among office workers. A recent report of the Nederlandse Sportraad reveal a concerning trend of increased sitting time among Dutch employees, leading to a myriad of musculoskeletal discomforts and significant health costs for employers due to increased sick leave. Recognizing the critical importance of addressing prolonged sitting in the workplace, Movebite has developed an innovative concept leveraging cutting-edge technology to provide a solution. The Movebite app seamlessly integrates into workplace platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Slack, offering a user-friendly interface to incorporate movement into their daily routines. Through scalable AI coaching and real-time movement feedback, Movebite assists individuals in scheduling and implementing active micro-breaks throughout the workday, thereby mitigating the adverse effects of sedentary behavior. In collaboration with the Avans research group Equal Chance on Healthy Choices, Movebite conducts user-centered testing to refine its offerings and ensure maximum efficacy. This includes testing initiatives at sports events, where the diverse crowd provides invaluable feedback to fine-tune the app's features and user experience. The testing process encompasses both quantitative and qualitative approaches based on the Health Belief Model. Through digital questionnaires, Movebite aims to gauge users' perceptions of sitting as a health threat and the potential benefits of using the app to alleviate associated risks. Additionally, semi-structured interviews delve deeper into user experiences, providing qualitative insights into the app's usability, look, and feel. By this, Movebite aims to not only understand the factors influencing adoption but also to tailor its interventions effectively. Ultimately, the goal is to create an environment encouraging individuals to embrace physical activity in small, manageable increments, thereby fostering long-term engagement promoting overall well-being.Through continuous innovation and collaboration with research partners, Movebite remains committed to empowering individuals to lead healthier, more active lifestyles, one micro-break at a time.
This project researches risk perceptions about data, technology, and digital transformation in society and how to build trust between organisations and users to ensure sustainable data ecologies. The aim is to understand the user role in a tech-driven environment and her perception of the resulting relationships with organisations that offer data-driven services/products. The discourse on digital transformation is productive but does not truly address the user’s attitudes and awareness (Kitchin 2014). Companies are not aware enough of the potential accidents and resulting loss of trust that undermine data ecologies and, consequently, forfeit their beneficial potential. Facebook’s Cambridge Analytica-situation, for instance, led to 42% of US adults deleting their accounts and the company losing billions. Social, political, and economic interactions are increasingly digitalised, which comes with hands-on benefits but also challenges privacy, individual well-being and a fair society. User awareness of organisational practices is of heightened importance, as vulnerabilities for users equal vulnerabilities for data ecologies. Without transparency and a new “social contract” for a digital society, problems are inevitable. Recurring scandals about data leaks and biased algorithms are just two examples that illustrate the urgency of this research. Properly informing users about an organisation’s data policies makes a crucial difference (Accenture 2018) and for them to develop sustainable business models, organisations need to understand what users expect and how to communicate with them. This research project tackles this issue head-on. First, a deeper understanding of users’ risk perception is needed to formulate concrete policy recommendations aiming to educate and build trust. Second, insights about users’ perceptions will inform guidelines. Through empirical research on framing in the data discourse, user types, and trends in organisational practice, the project develops concrete advice - for users and practitioners alike - on building sustainable relationships in a resilient digital society.
