Files and links (1)
SubmittedOpen Access (License Unspecified), Open
Journal article
The great divide: understanding the role of media and other drivers of the partisan divide in public concern over climate change in the USA, 2001-2014
Climatic change, v 141(4), pp 599-612
01 Apr 2017
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
Recent scholarship has identified a large and growing divide on how Republicans and Democrats view the issue of climate change. A number of these studies have suggested that this polarization is a product of systematic efforts to spread doubt about the reality of climate change through the media in general and conservative media in particular. However, research to date has largely relied on speculation about such a relationship rather than empirical evidence. We improve on existing research by conducting an empirical analysis of the factors affecting national-level, quarterly shifts in public concern about climate change between January 2001 and December 2014. Our analysis focuses on the potential role played by four factors that should account for changes in levels of concern regarding climate change: (1) media coverage, (2) extreme weather, (3) issuance of major scientific reports, and (4) changes in economic activity and foreign conflict. Some results suggest that partisan media influences beliefs in ways expected by communication scholars who describe "echo chamber" effects and "boomerang" effects. Among other supporting evidence, we find that partisan media not only strengthen views of like-minded audiences but also when Republicans are presented with opposing frames about climate change from liberal media, they appear to reject the messages such that they are less concerned about the issue. Findings also demonstrate that the dissemination of science increases concern about climate change among Democrats but has no influence on Republicans. Finally, extreme weather does not increase concern among Democrats or Republicans. Implications for future research are discussed.
Metrics
Details
- Title
- The great divide: understanding the role of media and other drivers of the partisan divide in public concern over climate change in the USA, 2001-2014
- Creators
- Jason T. Carmichael - McGill UniversityRobert J. Brulle - Drexel UniversityJoanna K. Huxster - Bucknell University
- Publication Details
- Climatic change, v 141(4), pp 599-612
- Publisher
- Springer Nature
- Number of pages
- 14
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- [Retired Faculty]
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000396826200001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85011304726
- Other Identifier
- 991019168083204721
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This publication has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
InCites Highlights
Data related to this publication, from InCites Benchmarking & Analytics tool:
- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Environmental Sciences
- Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences