85 The findings of this investigation overall illustrate that individuals want to
recover to a pre-disaster state, and they view livelihood projects as assistance to achieve this goal. Individuals value the opportunity to gain knowledge provided by
the project and skills in addition to income, and they would be willing to participate in as many projects as possible in order to assist their recovery. This study shows
that the individuals in this study were willing to participate in rehabilitation projects in addition to existing occupations. An opportunity still exists to encourage
sustainable practices in both rehabilitation projects and existing occupations to improve resource use in the area and provide greater likelihood that these resources
can continue to be used by future generations.
5.6 Limitations of the Study
This study assessed certain perceptions with respect to proposed projects for livelihood recovery. The findings of this investigation can be used for designing
recovery programs for the villages included in this survey but, the study does not attempt to make generalizations about livelihood recovery efforts in general. The
statistical analysis produced statistically significant, yet relatively weak results, which may indicate that the practical implications are small. Nevertheless,
additional data from key informant interviews and participant observation supports these results and their practical significance.
Another procedural limitation of this study is that the interviewers were all young women. The respondents might have answered differently if interviewed by
a male. However, use of female interviewers makes interviewer effect more
86 constant, hence not impacting statistical tests. One reason for the selection of all
women is practical; most young men were involved in occupational activities during the day when the surveys were administered. In addition, men are more
likely to have influence with government or elected officials which might have skewed responses in a different way. Each household interview was conducted by
two interviewers, often with one of two other researchers observing. The researchers were both foreign, one male and one female, and neither was fluent in
Southern Thai. The presence of this ‘outsider’ may have also affected responses, especially because residents generally associated foreigners with donations.
Additionally, this investigation assesses all five villages as one group; however, there are clear differences between them. These differences include pre-
and post-tsunami occupational distribution, impact from the tsunami and community solidarity. Each of these differences may affect households differently
and may impact perceptions and willingness to participate in proposed livelihood rehabilitation projects. However, the Post-Tsunami Sustainable Coastal Livelihoods
Program targeted all of these villages in one program and, therefore, analyzing these villages as one group most adequately provides information for the program
as a whole. Although every recovery effort differs, there are a few factors to note that
apply to this investigation, specifically. First, the survey was administered six months after the tsunami occurred, during the monsoon season in Southern
Thailand. Heavy rain and rough seas dominate weather conditions during this time of year at the study site. In prior years, much of the fishing effort was lower during
87 this season, and income levels decrease in this area due to difficulties presented by
weather. If the study were conducted during the dry season, the analysis may have generated different results. Specifically, fishermen may not have been willing to
participate in proposed projects because they would be spending more time fishing. In addition, attitudes are likely to change with time since the event. Responses may
be biased in this study by the presence of the monsoon season which brings waves and rough seas that might remind residents of the tsunami. An option for follow-up
investigation is to assess attitudes periodically in the aftermath of the disaster to gain understanding of the changes overtime.
Individuals at the study site were inundated with donations in the aftermath of the tsunami. Many donors did not address residents directly, dealing with local
government instead, but donations were distributed to the residents. During the course of this survey, individuals may have been more likely to say that they were
willing to participate in projects because they wanted the option of participating in the projects. If the project was actually offered, some individuals may not have
actually participated, given constraints such as time. There are also cultural differences between the locations e.g. Philippines,
New England and Panama where some of these attitude and perception questions have been used in previous surveys. In translating these surveys, the researchers
worked with translators that were familiar with the Southern Thai Dialect and could accurately translate the questions. However, the translators were Buddhist, not
Muslim. Although they were aware of the Islamic culture in general, the nuances of
88 certain attitudes and perceptions may be better investigated in different ways for
future study.
5.7 Summary
