DOI: 10.5061/dryad.573n5tbf1
title: Data from: Fertilizer and deicer use and perceptions in SW Ohio (USA)

description: Fertilizers and deicers are common materials for property maintenance in
 the Midwest, however, their application contributes to negative
 environmental impacts when applied incorrectly. While fertilizer use is
 well researched, deicer use on private properties is not. This research
 aims to ascertain whether patterns of fertilizer use are different from
 those of deicer use in Hamilton County, Ohio, and determine what factors
 influence a resident’s decision to use these materials. Survey data were
 collected from 110 single-family households (38.9% response rate).
 Respondents are motivated by property appearance to apply fertilizers.
 Deicer use stems from safety concerns. Respondents were significantly more
 likely to consider the environmental impact of fertilizers than deicers.
 Respondents felt that using deicers is a more neighborly practice while
 using fertilizers reflects more positively on them in their neighborhood.
 This information can be used to develop outreach programs to reduce the
 environmental impacts of fertilizers and deicers.
description: A survey was designed to gauge respondents' perceptions and
 usage of fertilizers and deicers. Questions included in the survey asked
 respondents about the frequency with which residents use fertilizer and
 deicer, perceptions and knowledge of these materials, and demographic
 information (e.g., age, income, education, gender). Previous studies which
 focused on individuals’ uses of fertilizers, deicers, and other lawn
 management practices were used as a guide for designing questions for this
 survey. A random sample of 300 single family homes in
 Hamilton County was selected to receive the survey materials using ArcGIS
 Pro 2.9.2 and parcel data downloaded from the Hamilton County Community
 Planning Maps and GIS website in May of 2022. The surveys, as well as a $2
 bill incentive, were distributed and collected using the Drop-off Pick-up
 (DOPU) method. Each survey packet contained a cover letter and printed
 cover sheet entitled “Research Consent Form” which informed potential
 participants about their rights as a survey participant. The cover sheet
 specified that answering the questions on the survey was completely
 voluntary and that the data participants provided would be anonymized and
 presented in aggregate form so that no one individual or household could
 be identified. No participant under 18 years of age was recruited and the
 cover letter stated that “Participation in this research is restricted to
 persons 18 years of age or older”.  Lastly, the consent form provided
 contact information for the researchers and our Research Ethics and
 Integrity Office.  Placing the fully or partially completed survey for the
 researchers to retrieve was understood as providing informed consent.  The
 survey instrument, consent form, and recruitment mechanism were approved
 by the Research Ethics and Integrity Office at Miami University (project #
 <em>04247e</em>). The dates of recruitment of participants,
 distribution and collection of survey materials took place from the June
 1<sup>st</sup> to August 20<sup>th</sup>, 2022. 
 Completed survey responses were recorded using Qualtrics. ArcGIS Pro was
 used to classify land cover and area for each household selected for
 surveying. The land covers on each parcel were digitized and divided into
 the following categories: lawn, building, driveway, sidewalk, patio, and
 pool. The various land cover classifications and their surface area for
 each parcel were used to calculate suggested fertilizers and deicer
 amounts for each household. These suggested amounts were compared to the
 amounts self-reported by respondents in the surveys.
description: # Fertilizer and Deicer Use and Perceptions in SW Ohio (USA)
 [https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.573n5tbf1](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.573n5tbf1) Answers to questions to a survey designed to gauge respondents' perceptions and usage of fertilizers and deicers. The table contains answers from 110 single-family households in Hamilton County, Ohio, USA, a population thought to be generally representative of homeowners in the midwestern USA. It also contains the total surface area in square feet of lawn cover for each respondents' parcel, and similarly how much area is potentially ## Description of the data and file structure Missing answers (where a respondent chose not to answer that question or missed the question) are identified with n/a in the .csv. Questions with an asterisk in front of them (*) were aggregated in order to preserve the anonymity of the respondents. Questions number 37 and 38 (about gender and race/ethnicity) were removed from the dataset to help preserve the anonymity of the respondents. Researchers desiring these data should contact the corresponding author who can work with them to get them added to the IRB protocol for this study. Q1 Assigned Number for each household Q2 Do you or someone in your household maintain your own lawn? o Yes  (1) o No  (2) o I'm not sure  (3) Q3 Do you or someone in your household maintain your own sidewalks and driveway? o Yes  (1) o No  (2) o I'm not sure  (3) Q4 Do you belong to a homeowner's associations (HOA)? o Yes  (1) o No  (2) o I'm not sure  (3) Q5 If you belong to an HOA, does this HOA have strict lawn maintainance guidelines? o Yes  (1) o No  (2) o I'm not sure  (3) Q6 If you belong to an HOA, does this HOA require you to clear snow and ice from the following areas? ▢        Sidewalk:Yes  (1) ▢        Sidewalk:No  (2) ▢        Sidewalk:I'm not sure  (3) ▢        Driveway:Yes  (4) ▢        Driveway:No  (5) ▢        Driveway:I'm not sure  (6) Q7 Do you or someone else apply fertilizer to your property at least once a year? (If you answer no, please skip to "Your Deicer Use") o Yes  (1) o No  (2) o I do not know  (3) Q8 During which month(s) of the year do you or someone else apply fertilizers to your property? ▢        January  (1) ▢        February  (2) ▢        March  (3) ▢        April  (4) ▢        May  (5) ▢        June  (6) ▢        July  (7) ▢        August  (8) ▢        September  (9) ▢        October  (10) ▢        November  (11) ▢        December  (12) Q9 How often do you or someone else add fertilizer to your lawn and garden? ▢        Once a year  (1) ▢        Every few months  (2) ▢        Monthly  (3) ▢        More than once a month  (4) ▢        Not sure  (5) Q10 While you have lived on this property, have you ever tested your soil (for pH and nutrients)? o Yes  (1) o No  (2) o I do not know  (3) Q11 If you answered yes to the previous question, do you test your soil yearly? o Yes  (1) o No  (2) o I do not know  (3) Q12 Do you use granular or liquid fertilizer on your lawn o Granular  (1) o Liquid  (2) o Both  (3) Q13 Approximately how much fertilizer do you apply to your property EACH YEAR? (Granular)(# of Bags) \_______________________________________________________________\_ Q41 Approximately how much fertilizer do you apply to your property EACH YEAR? (Granular) (POUNDS) \_______________________________________________________________\_ Q14 Approximately how much fertilizer do you apply to your property EACH YEAR? (Liquid) (# of Containers) \_______________________________________________________________\_ Q42 Approximately how much fertilizer do you apply to your property EACH YEAR? (Liquid) (Fl Oz) \_______________________________________________________________\_ Q15 Do you or someone else apply similar amounts of fertilizer to all areas of your lawn (e.g. front yard, back yard, garden)? o Yes  (1) o No  (2) o I do not know  (3) Q16 If you answered no in the previous question, please explain which areas of your property recieve larger or smaller amounts of fertilizer. \_______________________________________________________________\_ Q17 Why do you apply fertilzier to your lawn? (Check all that apply and circle the main reason) ▢        To maintain the appearance of my property  (1) ▢        To support plant growth and health  (2) ▢        To meet HOA regulations  (3) ▢        It is the neighborly thing to do  (4) ▢        I am not sure  (5) ▢        Other  (6) \_________________________________________________\_ Q43 Why do you apply fertilzier to your lawn? (Circle Main Reason) o To maintain the appearance of my property  (1) o To support plant growth and health  (2) o To meet HOA regulations  (3) o It is the neighborly thing to do  (4) o I am not sure  (5) o Other  (6) \_________________________________________________\_ Q18 Do you or someone else sweep excess fertilizer off driveways, sidewalks, or the road back into the lawn or garden? ▢        All of the time  (1) ▢        Sometimes  (2) ▢        Never  (3) ▢        I am not sure  (4) ▢        Other  (5) \_________________________________________________\_ Q19 What method do you/ a contractor use to apply fertilizer to your lawn? ▢        Drop Spreader  (1) ▢        Broadcast Spreader  (2) ▢        Hand Spreader  (3) ▢        Spread by Hand  (4) ▢        I am not sure  (5) ▢        Other  (6) \_________________________________________________\_ Q20 If YOU apply your own fertilizer, how do you decide how much fertilizer to apply? \_______________________________________________________________\_ End of Block: Fertilizer Questions Start of Block: Deicer Questions Q21 Do you or someone else apply deicers (rock salt/ ice melt) to your property at least once a year? (If no skip to Q 28) o Yes  (1) o No  (2) o I do not know  (3) Q22 During which month(s) of the year do you or someone else apply deicers to your property? ▢        Januray  (1) ▢        February  (2) ▢        March  (3) ▢        April  (4) ▢        May  (5) ▢        June  (6) ▢        July  (7) ▢        August  (8) ▢        September  (9) ▢        October  (10) ▢        November  (11) ▢        December  (12) Q23 What prompts you or someone else to apple deicers to your property during the times of year when you use them? (Check all that apply) ▢        When I see a weather forecast predicting snow/ ice accumulation  (1) ▢        When I see a weather forecast predicting freexing temperatures  (2) ▢        After snow has already accumulated  (3) ▢        After ice has already accumulated  (4) ▢        Other  (5) \_________________________________________________\_ ▢        I am not sure  (6) Q24 When you do use deicers, which of the following areas on your property recieve deicer? | | Never (1) | Rarely (2) | Sometimes (3) | Often (4) | Always (5) | Not applicable (6) | | --------------------- | --------- | ---------- | ------------- | --------- | ---------- | ------------------ | | Driveway (1) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | Sidewalk (2) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | Front steps/porch (3) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | Patio (4) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | Lawn (5) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | Other (6) | o | o | o | o | o | o | Q25 For the areas selected in the previous question, do you apply deicer to the entire area or only the parts with ice/snow accumulation? | | The entire area (1) | Only the parts with ice/snow (2) | I don't apply salt here (3) | | ---------------------- | ------------------- | -------------------------------- | --------------------------- | | Driveway (1) | o | o | o | | Sidewalk (2) | o | o | o | | Front steps/ porch (3) | o | o | o | | Patio (4) | o | o | o | | Lawn (5) | o | o | o | | Other (6) | o | o | o | Q26 What kinds of deicers do you or someone else use on your property (Check all that apply) ▢        Chloride-Based Deicers  (1) ▢        Acetate Based Deicers  (2) ▢        Carbohydrate Deicers  (3) ▢        Safe Paw (or other non-salt deicers marketed for pet safety)  (4) ▢        I am not sure  (5) ▢        Other  (6) \_________________________________________________\_ Q27 Approximately how much deicer do you apply to your property over the course of a year? (Bags) \_______________________________________________________________\_ Q44 Approximately how much deicer do you apply to your property over the course of a year? (Pounds) \_______________________________________________________________\_ Q28 How do you decide how much deicer to apply to your property? \_______________________________________________________________\_ Q29 Why do you apply deicers to your property? (Check all that apply) ▢        Safety Reasons  (1) ▢        It is the neighborly thing to do  (2) ▢        To avoid liability from ice related injuries on my property  (3) ▢        To be able to move vehicles to and from my driveway  (4) ▢        To make sidewalks and pathways easier to walk on  (5) ▢        To make my property more visually appealing  (6) ▢        To prevent ice related damages to my property  (7) ▢        Other  (8) \_________________________________________________\_ Q45  Why do you apply deicers to your property? (Circle the main reason) o Safety Reasons  (1) o It is the neighborly thing to do  (2) o To avoid liability from ice related injuries on my property  (3) o To be able to move vehicles to and from my driveway  (4) o To make sidewalks and pathways easier to walk on  (5) o To make my property more visually appealing  (6) o To prevent ice related damages to my property  (7) o Other  (8) \_________________________________________________\_ End of Block: Deicer Questions Start of Block: Likert Qs Q30 Click to write the question text | | Strongly Disagree (1) | Disagree (2) | Agree nor Disagree (3) | Agree (4) | Strongly Agree (5) | Not Applicable (6) | | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------- | ------------ | ---------------------- | --------- | ------------------ | ------------------ | | It is important for me to have a lush green lawn. (1) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | I take into consideration how my lawn care practices might affect the environment when applying fertilizer. (2) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | Having an attractive lawn reflects positively on me as a resident in my neighborhood. (3) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | Using fertilizers to have an attractive lawn is the neighborly thing to do. (4) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | I use fertilizers in a way that minimizes negative environmental effects (5) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | I am concered about myself, my family, or my pets being exposed to the chemicals in fertilizers. (6) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | I am interested in learning more about how to properly and safely apply fertilizers to my property. (7) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | In the future, I will consider making fertilizer choices which are safer for the environment. (8) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | It is important for me to remove an/ or prevent ice accumulation on my property. (9) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | I take into consideration how my deicer use might affect the environment. (10) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | I use deicers on my property because I am concerned about the saftey of my family and myself. (11) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | Removing ice from property reflects positively on me as a resident in my neighborhood. (12) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | I use deicers on my property because it is the neighborly thing to do. (13) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | Deicers contribute to negative environmental impacts. (14) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | I use deicers in a way which reduces negative environmental impacts. (15) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | I am concerned about myself, my family, or my pets being exposed to the chemicals in deicers. (16) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | I am interested in learning more about how to properly and safely apply deicers to my property. (17) | o | o | o | o | o | o | | In the future, I will consider making deicer choices which are safer for the environment. (18) | o | o | o | o | o | o | End of Block: Likert Qs Start of Block: Background Information Q31 Do pets play on or use your lawn? o Yes  (1) o No  (2) Q32 Do children play on or use your lawn? o Yes  (1) o No  (2) Q33 How would you classify your property type? o Rural  (1) o Suburban  (2) o Urban  (3) Q34 What is the employment status of the main earner in your household? o Full-time  (1) o Part-time  (2) o Not Working  (3) o Retired  (4) o Student  (5) Q35 What is the highest level of education you have completed? o Some High School  (1) o High School/ GED  (2) o Certificate Program  (3) o Associates Degree  (4) o Some College  (5) o 4-Year College Degree  (6) o Master's Degree  (7) o Doctoral Degree (PhD, JD, MD)  (8) *Q36b How old are you? This column contains aggregated data to help preserve the anonymity of the respondents. Researchers desiring the original data should contact the corresponding author who can work with them to get them added to the IRB protocol for this study. The data are provided as 10 year age ranges. *Q39b What was your total household income last year, before taxes? This column contains aggregated data to help preserve the anonymity of the respondents. Researchers desiring the original data should contact the corresponding author who can work with them to get them added to the IRB protocol for this study. o Less than $50,000  (1) o $50,000 up to $150,000  (2) o More than $150,000  (3) End of Block: Background Information Parcel Information: Lawn_patches: Number of polygons of separate areas of turf grass digitized on this respondent's parcel. Lawn_Area: Total area in square feet of turfgrass (i.e. lawn) on this respondent's parcel. SaltSurf_patches: Number of polygons of digitized areas considered a potential locations of deicer application on this respondent's parcel. These areas include driveways, walkways/sidewalks, i.e. impervious surfaces but excludes patios, or roofs. SaltSurf_Area: Total area in square feet of potential locations of deicer application on this respondent's parcel. ## Sharing/Access information Digitized data were derived from the following sources: * Imagery from 2018 for Hamilton County in Ohio (USA). It is high spatial resolution (6 inch pixels) 3-band (RGB) 8-bit natural color digital aerial imagery rectified to the existing statewide 2.5FT DEM imagery. It was downloaded from the Ohio Statewide Imagery Program at the following website [https://das.ohio.gov/technology-and-strategy/ogrip/projects/osip](https://das.ohio.gov/technology-and-strategy/ogrip/projects/osip)