PERCEPTION VS REALITY: HOW CLIMATE RISK AWARENESS AFFECTS HOUSEHOLD DECISIONS IN THE UNITED STATES
This thesis investigates the dynamic interplay between climate risk perception and household economic decisions concerning housing values, affordability, and residential mobility in the United States. Utilizing county-level panel data (2014–2022) from the Climate Change in the American Mind survey and American Community Survey, the study develops a comprehensive Climate Perception Index through principal component analysis. Two-way fixed-effect regression models reveal that counties with heightened climate risk awareness significantly correlate with lower housing values, elevated price-to-income ratios, and increased migration rates, demonstrating capitalization of perceived climate risks into housing markets. These relationships exhibit notable heterogeneity contingent upon homeownership rates, income levels, and coastal proximity. Dynamic panel models incorporating lagged dependent variables confirm the temporal persistence and path-dependency of market responses, underscoring the robustness. These findings highlight the critical role climate awareness plays in household adaptation behaviors and carry implications for climate-resilient urban policy development.