Assessment of Climate Change Awareness Among Rural Forest Communities

This study assesses the awareness of climate change among rural forest communities, focusing on how socio-demographic profiles influence perceptions of climate-related phenomena. Using quantitative data collected from local respondents, the analysis examined the relationships between awareness of climate impacts including heat waves, temperature variations, rainfall changes, and flooding and respondents’ characteristics, including gender, religion, education, occupation, and district location. The results revealed that religion and district were the most significant factors influencing awareness of heat waves and temperature changes, while gender and religious education also showed notable effects. In contrast, awareness of rainfall and flooding was relatively uniform across groups, suggesting shared experiences of these recurrent events. The findings suggest that climate change awareness and understanding require enhancement through appropriate content and effective communication channels. Overall, the findings demonstrated a moderate level of awareness of climate change among rural forest communities.