About

Amanda Carrico is an Associate Professor in Environmental Studies and the Principal Investigator and Director of the Environment & Behavior Lab. Her research lies at the intersection of environmental and behavioral sciences, focusing broadly on the social and psychological conditions that influence environmental decision-making and behavioral responses to environmental stress. Much of her current work examines how individuals and households respond behaviorally to environmental stress, with particular attention to migration and risk reduction actions. She specializes in quantitative research methods, including surveys and experimental approaches, and actively seeks collaborations that integrate social and natural sciences to advance understanding in these areas.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Ecology
• Economics
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Machine Learning
• Macroeconomics
• Cognitive psychology
• Microeconomics
• Economic system
• Mathematics
• Socioeconomics
• Econometrics
• Demographic economics
• Social psychology
• Geography
• Finance
• Demography
• Development economics
• Economic policy
• Biology
• Market economy

Selected publications

• Spousal migration and well-being of married women in Southwestern Bangladesh

  Figshare · 2026-04-08

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  In this research, we examine the differentiated experiences of married women as a function of their husbands’ migration status (current migrant or not). Utilizing multiple regression models, we investigate whether husbands’ migration status correlates with the mental and physical health of women, controlling for socio-economic and demographic variables. We also explore whether environmental stress interacts with husband’s migration status to predict well-being. In the last set of models, we limit the sample to remained-behind women whose husbands are current migrants to examine whether the conditions of the husbands’ trip relate to the outcome variables. Though remained-behind women have better emotional and physical well-being, on average, we find no direct relationship between husbands’ migration status and women’s well-being once other variables are controlled for. However, we observe a significant interaction between remained-behind status and experience of storm-related loss or damage, suggesting that remained-behind women report poorer physical health outcomes relative to peers when exposed to storms. Emotional distress is also higher among remained-behind women living with their in-laws in storm-affected households. This research brings attention to the experiences of remained-behind women amidst increasing migration trends and provides insights into how their well-being is associated with both migration dynamics and environmental stressors.

  PublisherDOI

• Mapping Climate-Driven Internal Displacement and Effect of Contextual Factors Globally 

  2026-03-14

  articleOpen access

  Climate change has emerged as a significant driver of forced displacement, particularly in vulnerable places such as small island nations, Sub-Saharan Africa, and some countries in South and Southeast Asia, yet the relationships between extreme weather events, displacement, mortality, and contextual factors remain poorly understood. We examine global patterns of climate-driven internal displacement using data from the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) combined with mortality records from EM-DAT (2013-2023). We address three critical questions: (1) how displacement and mortality vary across extreme weather events (floods, storms, landslides, and wildfires); (2) whether trends in displacement and mortality differ over time by type of extreme weather event; and (3) how contextual factors—conflict, wealth distribution, and infrastructure accessibility—moderate displacement and mortality.We create spatial hazard footprints for each extreme weather event by integrating satellite-based data sources—DLR Global WaterPack for floods, LHASA for landslides, GlobFire for wildfires, and IBTrACS for storms—with IDMC displacement event records. Then we overlay these footprints with human settlement data to calculate total population exposure for each event. This method helps us distinguish between total population exposure within mapped extreme weather event footprints and the actual proportion of exposed populations who become internally displaced persons. We link displacement events to mortality data through spatiotemporal matching and incorporate contextual factors including ACLED conflict data, gridded global GDP per capita, and ND-GAIN infrastructure indicators (paved roads, electricity access, ICT, and medical personnel). We use quantile regression models to estimate displacement and mortality ratios while controlling for hazard type, temporal trends, and interactions between extreme weather event type, contextual factors, and time.Our analysis shows that displacement and mortality differ in both magnitude and variability across extreme weather event types. Floods and storms exhibit highly variable impacts, while landslides remain consistently low and wildfires show moderate variability. Over time, temporal trends diverge by disaster type, revealing heterogeneous vulnerability trajectories across hazard types. Contextual factors amplify disaster impacts, with particularly pronounced effects for floods. Wealth distribution (GDP per capita) exhibits nonlinear effects that we will explore further in ongoing analysis. These findings indicate that there is a need for disaster-specific adaptation strategies that account for contextual factors and temporal dynamics. Here, we present not only original footprints for historical extreme weather events and internal displacement, but also how these data can improve our responses to a changing climate.

  PublisherDOI

• Spousal migration and well-being of married women in Southwestern Bangladesh

  Figshare · 2026-04-08

  datasetOpen accessSenior author

  In this research, we examine the differentiated experiences of married women as a function of their husbands’ migration status (current migrant or not). Utilizing multiple regression models, we investigate whether husbands’ migration status correlates with the mental and physical health of women, controlling for socio-economic and demographic variables. We also explore whether environmental stress interacts with husband’s migration status to predict well-being. In the last set of models, we limit the sample to remained-behind women whose husbands are current migrants to examine whether the conditions of the husbands’ trip relate to the outcome variables. Though remained-behind women have better emotional and physical well-being, on average, we find no direct relationship between husbands’ migration status and women’s well-being once other variables are controlled for. However, we observe a significant interaction between remained-behind status and experience of storm-related loss or damage, suggesting that remained-behind women report poorer physical health outcomes relative to peers when exposed to storms. Emotional distress is also higher among remained-behind women living with their in-laws in storm-affected households. This research brings attention to the experiences of remained-behind women amidst increasing migration trends and provides insights into how their well-being is associated with both migration dynamics and environmental stressors.

  PublisherDOI

• Spousal migration and well-being of married women in Southwestern Bangladesh

  Climate and Development · 2026-04-08

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Do Social Networks Moderate the Effect of Extreme Weather on Migration?

  Population and Development Review · 2026-04-10

  article1st authorCorresponding

  Abstract Using retrospective household data collected in southwest Bangladesh, we examine whether social ties to migrants moderate the effects of extreme weather on first migrations. We consider both weak and strong forms of social ties for both domestic and international trips. We also examine differences across male and female household members. Discrete time event history models reveal that migrant social ties predict making a first trip and are stronger for international versus domestic moves. Heat waves and storms/floods are positively associated with males making domestic trips and negatively associated with domestic trips among females. However, the effects are small and not moderated by social ties. In contrast, for male international moves, the effect of heat waves is conditional on the prevalence of ties to other international migrants. In communities with a strong history of international migration, the chance of making a first trip declines as heat waves intensify. Those from communities with a lower prevalence of international migration are more likely to make a first international trip as heat waves reach 15–25 days, after which the risk of migrating declines. Together, these results suggest that migrant networks attenuate, rather than amplify, the relationship between extreme weather and international migration.

  PublisherDOI

• Liberals are less willing to buy Teslas than other electric vehicles, moderated by perceptions of Elon Musk

  Humanities and Social Sciences Communications · 2025-07-28 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Adopting electric vehicles (EVs) can substantially reduce households’ greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In August 2023, we surveyed 633 U.S. adults about their intentions to adopt 30 GHG-reducing actions. Purchasing EVs was the most polarizing, with positive intentions among liberals and negative intentions among conservatives. Meanwhile Elon Musk, chief executive officer of EV manufacturer Tesla, has adopted a conservative public persona. We tested whether perceptions of Musk have made Teslas less polarizing than other EVs, with surveys in November 2023 ( n = 539), May 2024 ( n = 500), July 2024 ( n = 511), and March 2025 ( n = 689), randomly assigning respondents to consider purchasing either a Tesla or an unspecified EV. Conservatives consistently disfavored purchasing both Teslas and EVs, irrespective of their perceptions of Musk. Liberals showed declining intentions to purchase Teslas compared with other EVs, and, to a lesser extent, declining intentions to purchase EVs in general. We found both effects to be associated with negative perceptions of Musk. Musk’s public persona therefore may have reduced liberal support for Teslas without increasing conservative support. We compare our results to recent sales and consumer data.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Insights into how Community Wildfire Protection Plans act as drivers of wildfire preparedness

  Journal of Environmental Planning and Management · 2025-08-20

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Do identity or guilt-based appeals lead to environmental spillover effects?

  Current Research in Environmental Sustainability · 2025-01-01 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Understanding how and when an initial pro-environmental behavior (PEB1) may spill over to increase or decrease later PEBs can contribute to the creation of more effective PEB interventions. This study investigated PEB spillover in a novel way by examining whether a prior PEB reminder that elicits identity would increase the likelihood of positive spillover from PEB1 to PEB2 through an indirect pathway mediated by environmental identity, and whether a reminder that elicits guilt would increase the likelihood of negative PEB spillover mediated through guilt/shame. Student participants ( N = 229) completed a longitudinal study where they were exposed to an intervention eliciting guilt, identity, or neither (control conditions) and were asked to use reusable cups for a week. One week later, they were given an opportunity to perform a second observable PEB (agree to write a letter to a political leader advocating for alternative energy). Results provide some evidence for a positive spillover pathway through environmental identity following a guilt intervention but not an identity intervention and no support for an indirect pathway through guilt/shame for any condition. Additionally, the positive identity pathway was evident in the active control group, but not a nonactive control group, raising questions about demand characteristics in PEB spillover studies.

  PublisherDOI

• Future-making beyond (im)mobility through tethered resilience

  Nature Climate Change · 2025-11-25 · 3 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Outcome efficacy and responsibility as correlates of household wildfire adaptation action in Boulder, CO

  Journal of Environmental Psychology · 2025-10-28 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Rebound vs Gateway Effects of Pro-Environmental Behavior

  NSF · $492k · 2014–2017

• CNH-L: Socioecological System Dynamics Related to Livelihood, Human Migration, and Landscape Evolution

  NSF · $1.5M · 2017–2023

• Rebound vs Gateway Effects of Pro-Environmental Behavior

  NSF · $498k · 2013–2014

Frequent coauthors

• Michael P. Vandenbergh

  Vanderbilt University

  18 shared

• Heather Barnes Truelove

  University of North Florida

  14 shared

• Katharine M. Donato

  Georgetown University

  13 shared

• Jonathan M. Gilligan

  12 shared

• Kaitlin T. Raimi

  University of Michigan–Ann Arbor

  8 shared

• Janet K. Swim

  Pennsylvania State University

  6 shared

• Kelsea Best

  6 shared

• Nicholas E. Williams

  California Polytechnic State University

  6 shared

Labs

• ENVIRONMENT & BEHAVIOR LABPI

  Research on the social and psychological conditions shaping environmental decision-making and behavioral responses to environmental stress.

Education

• PhD, Social Psychology, Psychological Sciences

  Vanderbilt University

  2009