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Dissertation: The Relevance of the Shipping Fairway 'Oostgat' for the Western Scheldt Area - English Version

Dear participant,

thank you for taking part in this survey. I would greatly appreciate if you could take max. 5 minutes to (anonymously) answer the following questions.

It is a PhD-study executed for the Ruhr-University in Bochum (Germany) and facilitated by the Dutch Loodswezen Regio Scheldemonden in the time period from 1st of September 2019 to 30th of August 2022.

The aim of the study is to determine the value and the impact of the shipping fairway Oostgat for the economy, the environment and the people in Zeeland and especially Walcheren.

The Oostgat is the shipping route close to the beaches of Walcheren (e.g. at Vlissingen, Dishoek, Zoutelande and Westkapelle). A graphic of the fairway will be shown in the very beginning of the survey.

Any given answer should reflect your personal opinion. There are no wrong answers! Thanks a lot in anticipation!

Best regards,

Alexander Kleber (M.Sc)

PS: Feel free to send the link to the survey to contacts who have also been to Walcheren before.

Feel also free to send feedback or remarks via e-mail to A.Kleber@loodswezen.nl or Alexander.Kleber@rub.de.

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Section I: General Questions (6)

1

Which country are you from?

2

What is your gender identity?

3

Which group of age do you belong to?

4

Is your home town close to the seaside (closer than 50 km)?

5

Where are/were you staying in Zeeland (Walcheren)?

Select the name of the village or city
6

How often have you been in Zeeland (Walcheren) already?

If you are on vacation, each vacation counts as "one time"

Section II: Questions about the Oostgat (4)

7

Have you ever heard of the shipping fairway 'Oostgat' (green fairway in the graphic below) before you became aware of this survey?

question image
8

Which of the two route options would you personally prefer for this region (graphic below)?

question image
9

Have you seen and read this sign (see below) at the beaches in this area before?

question image
10

Do you consider passing ships at the beaches a threat to you?

Section III: In how far do the following statements suit your personal opinion? (3)

11

Did air pollution created by passing ships in this area have a negative effect on your personal experience of the seaside.

12

How do you view the close passing ships at the beaches and the boulevards?

13

Do ship waves influence your experience at the beaches in this area?

e.g. while swimming in the sea, surfing, lying on or walking at the beach etc.

Section IV: In how far would you consider the following statements to suit your personal experience? (2)

14

Have you, one of your relatives or friends ever been harmed by the effects of passing ships at the beaches in this area?

e.g. physical harm (being hurt or wasshed away) or material damages (items which were washed away)
15

Did you ever tell someone about the close passing ships to the beaches in this area?

e.g. a friend at home, family members etc.

Section V: Final questions (3)

16

In your opinion: Who is responsible for people getting harmed by the effects of passing ships (e.g. waves)?

Multiple answers are possible. If there is no suitable answer, please add your own answer below.
17

How save do you personally consider the present status of close passing ships to the beaches in this area?

Please give a rating from 1 (unsafe) to 10 (absolutely safe)
18

How did you become aware of this survey?

If no answer suits your personal opinion you can type in your own answer.