Guest editorial : sustainable development across small island states and subnational island jurisdictions : the role of public perception

Abstract

The papers in this special section report some of the results of a larger, twelve- island project examining the role of governance and public perception in addressing questions

of sustainability, sustainable development and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Special attention is given to the similarities and differences in attitudes of islanders from small island states (SIS) and subnational island jurisdictions (SNIJs). The principal methods for data collection were online surveys and follow-up focus groups of participants drawn from stakeholder groups on the islands. The geographic scope of results include pairwise comparisons of small island states and territories, and broader comparisons across all island units in the project.