scholarly journals Searching for the Determinants of Climate Change Interest

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Cavanagh ◽  
Corey Lang ◽  
Xinran Li ◽  
Haoran Miao ◽  
John David Ryder
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
National Level ◽  
The United States ◽  
Search Activity ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Search Data

A meaningful CO2 mitigation policy is unlikely at the national level in the United States. What is currently happening and what is much more likely to occur in the future are city and regional level efforts of mitigation and adaptation. This paper aims to understand the geographic and socioeconomic characteristics of metropolitan areas and regions that lead to engagement with the issue of climate change. We use geographically explicit, internet search data from Google to measure information seeking behavior, which we interpret as engagement, attention, and interest. Our spatial Hot Spot analysis creates a map that potentially could be harnessed by policymakers to gauge mitigation support or adaptation potential. The results of our multivariate analysis suggest that socioeconomic factors are the strongest determinants of search behavior and that climate and geography have little to no impact. With regard to political ideology, we find evidence of a nonlinear, inverse-U relationship with maximum search activity occurring in metropolitan areas with a near even political split, suggesting that parity may be good for engagement.

Public perceptions of who counts as a scientist for controversial science

2019 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 797-811 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianne Suldovsky ◽  
Asheley Landrum ◽  
Natalie Jomini Stroud
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Genetically Modified Organisms ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Us ◽  
Science Media

In an era where expertise is increasingly critiqued, this study draws from the research on expertise and scientist stereotyping to explore who the public considers to be a scientist in the context of media coverage about climate change and genetically modified organisms. Using survey data from the United States, we find that political ideology and science knowledge affect who the US public believes is a scientist in these domains. Our results suggest important differences in the role of science media attention and science media selection in the publics “scientist” labeling. In addition, we replicate previous work and find that compared to other people who work in science, those with PhDs in Biology and Chemistry are most commonly seen as scientists.

scholarly journals Exploring the “Evil Twin of Global Warming”: Public Understanding of Ocean Acidification in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra L. Cooke ◽  
Sojung C. Kim
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Ocean Acidification ◽  
Information Seeking ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Research Support ◽  
Critical Problems ◽  
The U.S

Ocean acidification (OA) occurs when carbon dioxide (CO2) dissolves into oceans. OA and climate change are both caused by anthropogenic CO2 emissions, and many scientists consider them equally critical problems. We assess if preexisting beliefs, ideologies, value predispositions, and demographics affect OA perceptions among the U.S. public. Nearly 80% of respondents know little about OA, but concern increased following a message explaining OA and climate change, especially among females, liberals, and climate change believers. OA information seeking intentions and research support were also greater among females, liberals, and climate change believers. We discuss implications for efforts to increase OA public awareness.

scholarly journals Evidence from internet search data shows information-seeking responses to news of local COVID-19 cases

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (21) ◽  
pp. 11220-11222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana I. Bento ◽  
Thuy Nguyen ◽  
Coady Wing ◽  
Felipe Lozano-Rojas ◽  
Yong-Yeol Ahn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Information Seeking ◽  
Public Discourse ◽  
Public Information ◽  
The United States ◽  
School Closures ◽  
The Public ◽  
Global Pandemic ◽  
First Case ◽  
Search Data ◽  
Collective Attention

The COVID-19 outbreak is a global pandemic with community circulation in many countries, including the United States, with confirmed cases in all states. The course of this pandemic will be shaped by how governments enact timely policies and disseminate information and by how the public reacts to policies and information. Here, we examine information-seeking responses to the first COVID-19 case public announcement in a state. Using an event study framework for all US states, we show that such news increases collective attention to the crisis right away. However, the elevated level of attention is short-lived, even though the initial announcements are followed by increasingly strong policy measures. Specifically, searches for “coronavirus” increased by about 36% (95% CI: 27 to 44%) on the day immediately after the first case announcement but decreased back to the baseline level in less than a week or two. We find that people respond to the first report of COVID-19 in their state by immediately seeking information about COVID-19, as measured by searches for coronavirus, coronavirus symptoms, and hand sanitizer. On the other hand, searches for information regarding community-level policies (e.g., quarantine, school closures, testing) or personal health strategies (e.g., masks, grocery delivery, over-the-counter medications) do not appear to be immediately triggered by first reports. These results are representative of the study period being relatively early in the epidemic, and more-elaborate policy responses were not yet part of the public discourse. Further analysis should track evolving patterns of responses to subsequent flows of public information.

scholarly journals Increasing Influence of Party Identification on Perceived Scientific Agreement and Support for Government Action on Climate Change in the United States, 2006–12

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron M. McCright ◽  
Riley E. Dunlap ◽  
Chenyang Xiao
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Party Identification ◽  
The United States ◽  
Political Orientation ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Government Action ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Reduce Emissions ◽  
Litmus Test

Abstract Since the mid-2000s, U.S. conservative leaders and Republican politicians have stepped up efforts to challenge the reality and seriousness of anthropogenic climate change (ACC). Especially with the rise of the Tea Party in 2009, ACC denial has become something of a litmus test for Republican politicians to prove their conservative bona fides. Two recent studies find that misperception of scientific agreement on ACC is associated with lower levels of support for government action to deal with ACC. Using nationally representative survey data from 2006 and 2012, the analytical model developed in those two studies was applied to investigate whether the effect of political orientation on perceived scientific agreement and support for government action to reduce emissions has increased since the heightened ACC denial by Republican politicians beginning in 2009. The results indicated that political ideology and party identification are moderately strong predictors of perceived scientific agreement; beliefs about the timing, human cause, seriousness, and threat of global warming; and support for government action in both 2006 and 2012. Further, as expected, the effect of party identification on perceived scientific agreement and support for government action increased from 2006 and 2012, evidence that rank-and-file Republicans in the general public are more strongly embracing the ACC denial espoused by Republican politicians in recent years. Such increased partisanship poses a formidable barrier to public understanding of ACC.

Environment and technology dominate the WEF agenda

2017 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
The United States ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
The People ◽  
Impact Risk ◽  
Trade Deals ◽  
First Time

Significance For the first time in the eleven-year history of the survey, no economic risk makes the list of the top five most likely or biggest impact risks. In contrast, large-scale terrorist attacks make the top five most likely risks for the first time and weapons of mass destruction are cited as the highest impact risk. All five environment-related risks are ranked among the top ten highest impact risks for the first time -- four in the top five: extreme weather events; water crises; major natural disasters; and failure of climate change mitigation and adaptation. The survey cites strengthening global cooperation systems as a top five challenge, and says these environmental risks will be exacerbated if cooperation diminishes. Impacts Nearly a third of respondents think that increasing polarisation will be an underlying trend over the next ten years. More must be done to include the people left behind by technological change -- more than 4 billion lack internet access. The United States may withdraw from the Paris climate change agreement, and a number of free trade deals are at risk.

scholarly journals Impact of the Climate Matters Program on Public Understanding of Climate Change

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 863-876
Author(s):  
Teresa A. Myers ◽  
Edward W. Maibach ◽  
Bernadette Woods Placky ◽  
Kimberly L. Henry ◽  
Michael D. Slater ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Political Ideology ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
American People ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Media Market

AbstractClimate Matters is a localized climate change reporting resources program developed to support television (TV) weathercasters across the United States. Developed as a pilot test in one media market in 2010, it launched nationwide in 2013; in the autumn of 2019 more than 797 weathercasters were participating in the program. In this paper we present evidence of the impact of the Climate Matters program on Americans’ science-based understanding of climate change. We analyzed three sets of data in a multilevel model: 20 nationally representative surveys of American adults conducted biannually since 2010 (n = 23 635), data on when and how frequently Climate Matters stories were aired in each U.S. media market, and data describing the demographic, economic, and climatic conditions in each media market. We hypothesized that 1) reporting about climate change by TV weathercasters will increase science-based public understanding of climate change and 2) this effect will be stronger for people who pay more attention to local weather forecasts. Our results partially support the first hypothesis: controlling for market-level factors (population size, temperature, political ideology, and economic prosperity) and individual-level factors (age, education, income, gender, and political ideology), there is a significant positive association between the amount of Climate Matters reporting and some key indicators of science-based understanding (including that climate change is occurring, is primarily human caused, and causes harm). However, there was no evidence for the second hypothesis. These findings suggest that climate reporting by TV weathercasters, as enabled by the Climate Matters program, may be increasing the climate literacy of the American people.

scholarly journals Climate Change Impacts on Livelihood Vulnerability Assessment-Adaptation and Mitigation Options in Marine Hot Spots in Kerala, India

2018 ◽  
pp. 180-199
Author(s):  
Shyam S. Salim ◽  
R. Narayanakumar ◽  
R. Remya ◽  
P. K. Safeena ◽  
M. Ramees Rahman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Adaptive Capacity ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
The South ◽  
Global Challenge ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
South West ◽  
Adaptation And Mitigation

Climate change, a global challenge facing mankind necessitates governments to develop mitigation and adaptation plans. The climate change has multidimensional impacts on environment, fishery, social, economic and development drivers.  Climate change hot spots –can be defined as the ‘live labs’ where the manifestation of the climate change impacts is observed “first”. The South west India has been recognised as one among the twenty four hot spot regions identified globally. The present paper assessed the climate change vulnerability of over 800 fisher households in two major fishing villages of Kerala from the south west hotspot regions of India. Exposure (E), Sensitivity (S) and Adaptive Capacity (AC) are the pertinent factors that determine the vulnerability of households which were captured using a structured household questionnaire. One ninety eight  indicators were identified in the construction of vulnerability indices of which 37 related to sensitivity, 36 related to exposure and the other 125 indicators dealt with adaptive capacity. The overall vulnerability of the regions was assessed and the analysis revealed that the Poonthura village of Kerala was more vulnerable when compared to Elamkunnapuzha. The coastal population on their vulnerability scores were categorised into low, moderate, high and very high based on score values and geo-spatial analysis was attempted.  The results revealed that majority of fisher households in both villages were highly vulnerable to climate change, which is a major cause of concern. The study advocates the need for a bottom up approach with the proactive participation of the fishers in developing location specific adaptation and mitigation plans to ensure the livelihood of the fishers and the sustainable development of the fisheries sector in the climate change regime.

Do scientists have a responsibility to provide climate change expertise to mitigation and adaptation strategies? Perspectives from climate professionals

2020 ◽  
pp. 096366252096669
Author(s):  
Jackie M. Getson ◽  
Anders E. Sjöstrand ◽  
Sarah P. Church ◽  
Roberta Weiner ◽  
Jerry L. Hatfield ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Public Support ◽  
The United States ◽  
Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
Mitigation Policy ◽  
The Public ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation Strategies ◽  
Change Mitigation

Although the scientific community has reached a consensus that anthropogenic climate change is a severe and pressing issue, climate change remains a contentious debate with the United States public. Through a survey ( N = 273), we explored climate professionals’ perspectives on their role and responsibility to promote climate change adaptation/mitigation strategies related to agroecosystems. They believed that climate professionals have a social responsibility to provide scientific input to both policymakers and the public. There was strong agreement that media, political, and public support is necessary for development, and near unanimous agreement for implementation, of climate change mitigation/adaptation strategies. This study highlights the climate professionals’ perceptions of their responsibility to provide scientific input, but also demonstrates that they believe the responsibility does not rest solely on their shoulders. Further research should explore scientists’ perceptions of their and others’ policy roles and scientists’ interactions with different influencers of adaptation/mitigation policy.

scholarly journals An Assessment of Public Perceptions of Climate Change Risk in Three Western U.S. Cities

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 449-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abigail Sullivan ◽  
Dave D. White
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Collective Action ◽  
Risk Perceptions ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Personal Responsibility ◽  
Mail Survey ◽  
The United States ◽  
Public Perceptions ◽  
Climate Change Risk ◽  
The Public

Abstract Risk perceptions influence individual and collective action related to climate change, and there is an important gap between public and expert perceptions of climate change risk, especially in the United States. Past studies have found that on average 40% of the American public believe climate change will affect them personally. We contribute a study of climate change risk perceptions in the metropolitan areas of three western U.S. cities (Denver, Colorado; Las Vegas, Nevada; Phoenix, Arizona), assessing overall patterns and drivers. A representative mail survey (N = 786) of the general public in these cities revealed that 60% of respondents identified climate change as personally risky, with the perception that it will impact either their family or their city in the next 30 years. Our results indicate that the gap in risk perceptions between the public and experts may be decreasing, although we discuss several limitations and reasons why this result requires further investigation. Using regression models, we analyze factors that are hypothesized to drive risk perceptions and discover that pro-environmental worldview and perceived personal responsibility are the most influential predictors. We discuss the implications of our results for fostering collective action to address climate change in dry, western U.S. metropolitan areas.

scholarly journals Climate Change Policymaking in the States: A View at 2020

2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 446-472
Author(s):  
Rebecca Bromley-Trujillo ◽  
Mirya R Holman
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Democratic Party ◽  
The United States ◽  
Climate Mitigation ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Climatic Effects ◽  
Sea Levels ◽  
Mitigation And Adaptation ◽  
Party Control ◽  
Rising Sea Levels

Abstract Climate change policymaking has stalled at the federal level in the United States, especially since Donald Trump’s election as president. Concurrently, extreme weather, rising sea levels, and other climatic effects have increased the salience of climate change in the mass public and among elected officials. In response, legislators in state governments increasingly introduce and adopt policies associated with climate change. In this article, we evaluate the state of climate change policymaking in state legislatures, with a focus on overall trends in climate mitigation and adaptation innovation and cases of policy retrenchment. We document an increased level of climate legislation introduced in U.S. states since President Trump’s election, particularly in states under Democratic Party control. We evaluate patterns of introduced legislation across the states between 2011 and 2019 and consider the factors associated with bill sponsorship. Our results demonstrate the increased partisan nature of climate change policymaking in U.S. states.

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