Let’s Talk About Climate Change!

Exploring climate change perceptions and influences on travel experiences.

RESEARCH INFORMATION SHEET

Who is conducting the research?

Why is the research being conducted?

The aim of my research is to gain a deeper understanding on how discussions about climate change influence travel experiences, and the future growth of sustainable tourism.

Climate change is seen as one of the biggest threats that the world's societies have to face, and tourism is seen as both a contributor to climate change and a 'sufferer' of climate change. Little is known about how climate change may influence consumers’ attitudes and their decisions towards more environmentally friendly tourism experiences.

What you will be asked to do

You will have different options to participate in my research project and you are not confined to one or the other (see overview below).

You can participate in the online questionnaire and/or register on the website (www.researchlounge.net) and access the online forum, participate in polls, and/or publish interesting content snippets like news, links, videos or your own thoughts and opinions. You can also or solely participate in a conversational style of interviews with me, which may allow us to explore things in more detail and are not visible to other participants.

The duration of your participation is only governed by your interest and time. And I want to thank you for this in advance. The project will approximately end late 2010 or later if I need to collect further perceptions. (Note: an earlier stated project end of mid 2010 has been amended in June 2010, as further collection of perceptions was needed.)

Who can participate in my project?

If you are already engaging or interested in discussions about climate change related to your travel experiences (future, past, or current), then I would like to invite you to participate in this research. Whether you belief in climate change or not, I am interested in your knowledge, opinions, thoughts and experiences regarding climate change and travelling. Everything important to you will be important for my research.

Expected benefits of the research

As a person interested in climate change issues related to your travel experiences, my research project may provide you an interesting and engaging platform to discuss these issues with other interested travellers. At the end of the project you will also receive an executive summary of my findings. Furthermore, recommendations to the tourism industry with regard to climate change and sustainable tourism products may be an outcome of this research.

Prize draw

As a participant you will automatically enter a prize draw. If you don’t wish to enter, just send a short email to u.kachel@griffith.edu.au. You can enter the following prize draws: For participation in the online or one-to-one discussions there will be five prizes in form of a Lonely Planet or Rough Guides travel guide in English language. Each winner can choose the country or city of interest, as well as the preferred publisher. for participation in the online questionnaire, you can win one of three AU$100 VISA gift cards. Make sure you register before entering or add your email address. You can find further information about the prize draw at www.researchlounge.net.

Risks to you

The risk of your potential identification has been mitigated in this research. Your email address and real name (if disclosed) will be stored securely, and is only known to the researchers and trusted staff members providing IT services. The research website has a closed area, which is only accessible to registered participants of this research. Please keep your login details safe to ensure no unauthorised person can access the website.

Your confidentiality

Identifiable data will be collected, as I will record your name and email address for the one-to-one conversations, and your email address is needed for your registration on the project website. For your access to the research website, you may want to choose a pseudonym or code name, which will be visible to other participants. This will allow me to contact you for our email conversations or to send you vital information through the website. According to the standard University position, all research data will be securely stored for 5 years, and then destroyed at the end of this period.

Your participation is voluntary

Your participation in the research is entirely voluntary. You are free to withdraw at any time, without comment or penalty. You do not need to answer every question unless you wish to do so.

Mechanism for participation

As a potential participant you can access this research information and a consent form on the research website [www.researchlounge.net]. Through the registration on the website you can express your consent (see below) and will be able to login. You then have access to your profile information, the discussion forums, polls, and you can publish information snippets like news, links, videos etc. Without registration you can fill out the online questionnaire and express your consent through sending your answers. You can share your perceptions on climate change with other participants or just complete polls and questionnaires.

Some potential participant may have received an invite to participate via email. If you decide to participate via one-to-one conversations, I will communicate with you via email and/or instant messaging systems or will arrange a face-to-face contact.

Questions / further information

Please contact me (u.kachel@griffith.edu.au) if you have any further questions or concerns in relation to the research, your participation or the interaction with other participants.

The ethical conduct of this research

This Griffith University research is conducted in accordance with the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans. If you have any concerns or complaints about the ethical conduct of the project, please contact the Manager Research Ethics, Office of Research, Griffith University on +61 7 3735 5585 or research-ethics@griffith.edu.au.

Feedback to you

During the research, I may send you preliminary findings and will ask you to reflect on these, or publish these in the online forum for further discussion. Your input and reflections are important for a successful research process.

Publications

Besides in my PhD thesis I also intend to report findings on the research website and in academic journals, books, and/or conference papers. In all publications the reporting of results will be at aggregated levels.

Privacy Statement

The conduct of this research involves the collection, access and/or use of your identified personal information. The information collected is confidential and will not be disclosed to third parties without your consent, except to meet government, legal or other regulatory authority requirements. A de-identified copy of this data may be used for other research purposes. However, your anonymity will at all times be safeguarded. For further information consult the University’s Privacy Plan at www.griffith.edu.au/ua/aa/vc/pp or telephone +61 7 3735 5585.

Expressing consent

You can express your consent via email to me (u.kachel@griffith.edu.au), via registration on the project website, via sending your online questionnaire answers, or by signing the consent form in case of face-to-face contact. Please print/keep a copy of the consent form and this information sheet for your later reference.