In recent years, wildfires have ravaged the Western American landscape with greater intensity and frequency. California has been especially hard hit. According to CALFire statistics, in 2018 alone, nearly 8,000 California wildfire incidents burned almost two million acres of land, destroyed over 24,000 structures, and claimed the lives of at least 100 people. In 2020, the number of incidents increased to over 9,600, with more than four million acres of land burned and over 30 fatalities. … The current dry spell is already outpacing the devastating 2012-2016 drought, creating the conditions for another severe wildfire season that could smash previous records in terms of casualties and economic damages. …
In new research, we use individual-level survey data combined with geocoded information about a respondent’s proximity to wildfire events and exposure to wildfire smoke to assess whether respondents’ experiences with those events increased their support for wildfire adaptation policies. …
In general, our data show that a majority of Californians oppose the imposition of restrictive government measures (e.g. requiring property upgrades or more restrictive zoning) and prefer that the decision to take adaptive steps remain a matter of personal choice. Moreover, party affiliation matters. CONTINUED
Iris Hui & Bruce E. Cain (Stanford), LSE USAPP