ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how to determine the potential scope of the assessment -- the geographical area of concern, the social phenomena which are most likely to need in-depth analysis, the units of analysis that should be addressed, and the appropriate level of detail for the assessment effort. One cause of social impacts is change in the number or characteristics of people living in a community. Social effects result from the interaction between the changes introduced by the proposed action and the existing social conditions in the community. The screening process provides a basis for estimating the effort that will be required for each step of the assessment. Changes in income levels, such as those resulting from grazing regulations or from the introduction of many new unionized jobs, can be important to the social assessment.
