About 2,900 University students responded to a broadcast survey that polled perceptions and responses to hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
One of the most significant findings showed students were concerned about how the hurricanes affected their education and their families’ well-being, said Steve Procopio, Public Policy Research Lab manager.
The Department of Communication Studies and the research lab sent a broadcast survey to students Oct. 13 to document students’ perceptions of the hurricanes.
According to the results, 40.6 percent of respondents believe their families have lost or suffered serious damage to their houses, and 44.5 percent think their families will suffer serious economic hardship.
The results also showed 45.6 percent of students think the University will face serious problems and 42.6 percent said their education will be hurt.
The research lab is a partnership between the E.J. Ourso College of Business and the Manship School of Mass Communication’s Reilly Center for Media & Public Affairs.
Procopio said he thinks it is shocking that almost half of the people think the University faces a crisis.
Procopio said students may have answered the question based on their initial reaction to the storms but that their situations may have improved since then.
Renee Edwards, Department of Communication Studies chairwoman, said she and a University of Arkansas colleague are collaborating to administer the same survey at her university to see if students in another state perceive the storms differently from LSU students.
The researchers used a scale Western Washington University researchers developed in 1998 to measure Hurricane Georges’ psychological effects on people affected in the Caribbean Sea.
The LSU researchers are looking for several outcomes: how well students coped with crisis, their psychological and emotional capability to deal with crisis and how much stress students have because of the storms, Edwards said.
Edwards said a group of the questions also focused on secular and religious beliefs students may associate with the storms.
“We focused on Christian religions because that’s what a majority of students are,” Edwards said. “Even if they are not, they are familiar with Christian beliefs and stories.”
Edwards said the researchers left some questions open-ended for additional comments to get more specific feedback.
The survey also compared the hurricane to other political conflicts, such as the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the U.S. atomic bombing of Nagasaki in World War II.
“We’re interested in what meanings people assign to the storm,” Edwards said. “Do they see a broader, bigger meaning?”
Procopio said he is compiling the data into a report to give to University administrators. The research team will use the information to present at conventions and publish in journals, Edwards said.
The researchers may offer a student lecture and will announce the results. The lab will be conducting at least three other hurricane-related surveys in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.
“A lot of us are trying to find a balance — a tension between the two [religious and scientific beliefs] — where students lie,” Edwards said.
Contact Leslie Ziober at [email protected]