Coal Seam Gas Research in Gloucester
Dr. Po-Hsin Lai lead a team of researchers from Newcastle Business School at the University of Newcastle and Department of Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University who recently conducted a survey to explore the effects of coal seam gas (CSG) exploration and production on Gloucester residents. A report has been compiled based on 629 respondents who returned the survey questionnaire. In this report, comparisons are made between respondents who evaluated CSG in the area positively and those who had a different view. Specifically, the differences between these two respondent groups are presented in terms of how they 1) characterised Gloucester and what it meant to them; 2) evaluated the impacts of CSG activities on personal and community assets; 3) adopted coping mechanisms in response to the impacts of CSG activities; 4) experienced positive and negative emotions in relation to CSG activities; 5) trusted stakeholders who were involved in management and decision-making about CSG activities in Gloucester.
Anyone who attempts to use the results from this survey needs to be aware that the findings reported here are not representative of the entire Gloucester community. Interpretations of these results need to be considered with caution.