Essay on Local Policy/Governmental Problem

A telephone survey of adult’s residents of the state of Michigan for Public Policy and Social Research between January 26 and March 4. It focused on issues related to environmental policy, governmental performance and the state of higher education in Michigan.
The sample is designed to provide representative information for respondents from major regions of the state: Southeast Michigan (excluding Detroit), Southwest Michigan, Central Michigan (West and East), northern Lower Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula. The data reported here are weighted to make the results representative of the adult population of Michigan.

Much of the public has heard little about environmental problems affecting Michigan. The survey asked people how much they had heard about twenty-seven environmental problems that affect Michigan. Only one was well known to over three-quarters of Michiganians. Between half and three-quarters said they had heard a lot or a fair amount about 15 of the problems. Between half and a quarter reported being well informed about nine of the problems. Less than a quarter reported hearing a lot or a fair amount about two of the problems.

Much of the public has heard little about the top local problems, but has heard a lot about the top global problems affecting Michigan’s environment. “Experts believe that one of Michigan’s top environmental problems is inadequate consideration of environmental impacts in land use decisions at the local level” (Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, 2003). Over half the public, however, said they had heard only a little or almost nothing about this problem. Another top local problem identified by experts is degradation of urban environments in Michigan, but only 53% said that they had heard a lot or a fair amount about this problem. In contrast, global climate change is ranked among the top environmental problems in Michigan and is well known to 66% of respondents............

ESSAY ON THE AMERICAS