The Effect of Climate Change News on Public Opinion about Environment

• In Event: Public Opinion and Experimental Methods in Comparative Perspective

Abstract

What is the effect of climate-focused media on public opinion in developing countries? We conducted a survey of climate change knowledge, attitudes, and behavioral intentions among 496 respondents in rural northeastern Tanzania. We find while 70% of respondents recognize that the environment is declining, less than 57% of respondents are aware of the negative impact of climate change and just 16% are aware that climate change is primarily caused by activities outside of Tanzania. To address this knowledge gap, we developed two 2-minute radio news reports in collaboration with a local Tanzanian radio station Pangani FM that describe the causes and consequences of climate change. In the first clip, the radio presenter emphasizes local responsibility for environmental degradation; in the second clip, the newscaster specifically attributes responsibility for climate change to China and the United States. We randomly assign respondents to listen to one of the two news vignettes or to a pure control condition. On average, the treatments dramatically increased respondents’ understanding of the human causes and
negative consequences of climate change and their willingness to enforce natural resource governance rules, but did not influence attitudes and perceived norms about balancing environmental protection and economic self-interest. We also find suggestive evidence that the news clip emphasizing international causes of climate change decreased willingness to engage in local efforts to protect the environment relative to the domestic causes condition.

Authors

• Salma Emmanuel, University of Dar es Salaam

• Dylan Groves, Columbia University

• Beatrice Montano, Columbia University