ESRC Studentship: ‘How life course perceptions shape climate discourses and practices in the North West of England’

Project Description

This full time, +3.5 PhD studentship, starting in September 2024, is fully funded by the Economic & Social Sciences Research Council CASE studentship scheme (ESRC NWSSDTP), together with Keele University and The Globe Foundation.

CASE studentships involve a PhD student working in partnership with an organisation to undertake a study which is designed to be relevant to the organisation. This creates an invaluable opportunity for students to undertake PhD research which bridges academic and professional concerns, having a direct impact in a professional context whilst also producing a PhD thesis.

This PhD, entitled ‘How life course perceptions shape climate discourses and practices in the North West of England’ will see a student work alongside The Globe Foundation, an environmental not for profit environmental education and awareness organisation headquartered in Staffordshire. The student will conduct ethnographic research to examine how people in post-industrial towns and cities of the Northwest and West Midlands of England think about, relate to, and form perceptions of anthropogenic climate change, unpacking the impact of lifeworld contexts on public trust, doubt, and climate behaviours. The research will produce an evidence base that can be used to benefit The Globe Foundation and their networks, with the student working on co-development of climate communications strategy.

The three-and-a-half-year PhD will be jointly supervised by Dr Rachel Wood, Senior Lecturer in Media at Keele, James Cronin, Professor of Marketing at Lancaster University, and Tom Bedford, Researcher with the Globe Foundation. Throughout the three-and-a-half years of the project, the student would be expected to be present in the office space of The Globe Foundation in Uttoxeter for around 30% of their time overall, based in the place-based decarbonisation team.

The studentship project

The research aims to examine the social, biographical, affective, and ideological structures and conditions that shape people’s lives in the in the Northwest and West Midlands of England, and understand how these contribute to shaping public perceptions of climate change and translate, or do not translate, into climate conscious practices and behaviours.

The project will explore how perceptions of and relationships with expert advice on climate change reflect the subjective and governing moral fabric that an individual has assembled over their life course. Identifying the role of life-worlds in shaping climate perceptions and practices is critically important for developing appropriate and effective climate communication and policies in the region and beyond.

Research Questions

1.      RQ1: How are public perceptions of climate change shaped by biographical, social, affective, and ideological structures and conditions in the Northwest and West Midlands?

2.      RQ2: What factors shape people’s perceptions of, and relationships with, sources of advice, expertise, and information about climate change?

3.      RQ3: How do individuals align, or not align, their perceptions of climate change with their climate actions and behaviours?

Methods

The proposed project will be ethnographic and undertaken over an expected 8-12 months (in second year of PhD) amongst a diverse sample of individuals and groups in the Northwest and West Midlands of England.

1.      Stage 1: Place-based observations. The PhD researcher will attend meetings of diverse local community and social groups in cities across the North West and West Midlands where they will gather situated accounts of how climate change is perceived and acted upon.

2.      Stage 2: In-depth interviews. The PhD researcher will undertake interviews with members of the public across the region to understand i) their perceptions of climate change and factors shaping this and ii) the connections between climate perceptions and behaviours. 

To Apply, please follow this link Studentships – Keele University ’ and quote the reference ESRC_RW2024