ANKARA’DAKİ BİR İLÇE BELEDİYESİ ANA HİZMET BİNASINDA GÖREV YAPAN BELEDİYE ÇALIŞANLARININ İKLİM DEĞİŞİKLİĞİ RİSK ALGISININ DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the perception of climate change risk among employees working in a district municipality in Ankara and to examine the factors affecting this perception. The study population consisted of 1,157 employees working at the Cankaya Municipality Main Service Building. No sampling was performed and the entire population was targeted. Data were collected between October 20 and 23, 2025, using the distribution-and-collection method. A total of 544 employees participated in the study. Since the scale used in the study was designed for individuals aged 18–60 years, 43 participants were excluded, and the analyses were conducted with 501 participants. The analysis group constituted 43.3% of the study population. The data collection form, developed by the researcher based on the literature, consisted of five sections and 67 questions. The Global Climate Crisis Risk Perception Scale (KIKRA) was used to assess climate change risk perception. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 25.0. Approval was obtained from the Hacettepe University Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee, and institutional permission was obtained from Cankaya Municipality. Of the participants, 56.2% were women, and the mean age was 42.21 ± 8.66 years. Regarding educational attainment, 72.7% had a bachelor’s or postgraduate degree. Of the participants, 81.7% believed that climate change is occurring and is mainly caused by human activities, while 54.6% were extremely or very concerned about climate change. During the previous five years, 81.2% of the participants had experienced extreme heat and 49.1% had experienced flooding. The mean total KIKRA score was 162.50 ± 15.88. Although the median total KIKRA score was higher among female employees than among male employees, the difference between the groups was not statistically significant (p=0.052). Risk perception scores were significantly higher among participants who believed that climate change was caused by human activities, had higher levels of concern, or had experienced extreme heat, extreme cold, flooding, or storms. A statistically significant, positive, and weak correlation was found between the total KIKRA score and the total knowledge score (r=0.23; p<0.001). Statistically significant, positive, and weak correlations were also found between the total KIKRA score and the behavior score (r=0.18; p<0.001) and between the total knowledge score and the behavior score (r=0.15; p=0.002). Considering the critical role of municipalities in climate action, the high level of risk perception identified among employees represents an important potential for addressing climate change.