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News from Home: How Local Media Shapes Climate Change Attitudes.

Authors :
Andrews, Talbot M
Kim, Cana
Kim, Jeong Hyun
Source :
Public Opinion Quarterly; Winter2023, Vol. 87 Issue 4, p863-886, 24p
Publication Year :
2023

Abstract

Highlighting the local impacts of climate change has the potential to increase the public's awareness of and engagement with climate change. However, information about local impacts is only effective when delivered by trusted sources such as copartisan political leaders. Is information about climate change conveyed by local media sources similarly beneficial? We argue that local media are well positioned to communicate the local implications of climate change, thereby enhancing the public's risk perceptions of climate change and willingness to take climate action. We further hypothesize that climate coverage by local media, the media type that is more trusted across party lines, will have a significant influence on Republicans' climate attitudes. Using the case of Louisiana, we first demonstrate that local and national newspapers cover climate change in substantially different ways, with local media more consistently focused on local impacts. Our survey experiment of Louisiana residents reveals that Republicans viewed the coverage of a hurricane in the region more positively when it came from a local newspaper rather than a national newspaper. Furthermore, local newspapers' climate coverage increased Republicans' willingness to take action to mitigate climate change. These results provide insights into the effective communication of climate change to the public and the role of local media in mitigating partisan polarization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
0033362X
Volume :
87
Issue :
4
Database :
Complementary Index
Journal :
Public Opinion Quarterly
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
174684274
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfad049