A team of crack researchers from the Reuters Institute recently completed a report as part of the Oxford Climate Journalism Network on how audiences engage with news about climate change.
Above and beyond the audience's basic understanding of the scientific consensus and recognition of the climate crisis, it is important to understand people’s attitudes towards climate change news, including who they trust as sources of information, how climate news makes them feel, and how well they think news media are performing in covering it.
The report is based on a survey conducted from August to September 2022 by the global research organisation, Ipsos and covered eight countries, Brazil, France, Germany, India, Japan, Pakistan, the UK and the US.
The authors of the report, Dr Waqas Ejaz, Mitali Mukherjee, Dr Richard Fletcher and Professor Rasmus Kleis Nielsen, used online survey data to document and understand how people access news and information about climate change.
A large majority of respondents across these countries recognise that almost all climate scientists believe that climate change is caused by humans and are worried about the impact.
The authors found that, at the time of conducting the survey, around half of respondents said that they recently engaged with climate change news. A large minority of less engaged users say they have come across climate change news or information less frequently.
The research found that the single most important medium from where people derived their climate change news was television, with around the same number of people saying they have used various online news sources, including news sites as well as platforms including social media or messaging apps.
Surprisingly, the authors found that there were more older people engaging with climate change news than younger generations.
Asked about what sources respondents have seen featured in news and information about climate change, scientists and environmental activists are the most prominent, with governments and politicians or political parties not far behind.
A smaller number recall hearing from international institutions such as the United Nations (UN), along with energy companies, followed by a number of less prominent types of sources.
Overall, about half of respondents say they trust the news media as a source of news and information about climate change. People have very different levels of trust in the various sources they see featured in news coverage, ranging from high and broad-based trust in scientists to generally low levels of trust in energy companies and in politicians or political parties.
Trust in environmental activists varies significantly from country to country with trust in different sources varying by country as well as by political orientation, with those on the political right in many countries expressing less trust in both environmental activists and scientists.
Despite these differences, in almost every country covered, a clear majority of those on the political right say they trust scientists as sources of climate change news and information.
Selective news avoidance, where people actively try to avoid news often, even if they also continue to follow it at least some of the time, is almost as widespread for news on climate change as it is for news in general, ranging from 10% in Japan to 41% in India.
When it comes to misinformation, large majorities of respondents in every country covered are at least somewhat concerned about whether climate news and information they come across is false or misleading. Many say that they themselves have come across climate change news or the information they believe is false or misleading.
Whereas people in some countries rely more on television for news about climate change, people generally are slightly more likely to associate false information with online use, and within that, social media use.
Those who consume climate change news more frequently are more likely to agree that they find it empowering in some way, either because it helps them know what to do in response, prompts them to consume more information, or gives them more accurate information.
Respondents who consumed climate change news frequently were less likely to feel that climate news contains conflicted views, leaves them confused, or is not relevant to them.
People who consume climate change news or information on a weekly basis are more likely to think they know the basics of climate science, including for example the link between climate change and rising temperatures.
A large majority of respondents, ranging between 75% in the US and 89% in India, say that they are either ‘somewhat’, ‘very’, or ‘extremely’ worried about the impact of climate change on people all over the world.
Typically, those on the political left are more likely to worry about the impacts of climate change.
However, it is equally important to note that, regardless of political leaning, more than half of respondents in all countries said that they are worried about climate impacts.
Across all eight countries, people who use climate news on a weekly basis are slightly more likely to say they will take some of the more popular actions in response, like recycling, throwing away less food, and using less energy.
However, for the less popular actions, like flying less, switching to renewables for household energy, or eating less meat, there are no real differences.
Average results showed that the proportion who agree that their government ‘is paying enough attention to climate change’, ‘is acting in line with climate science’, ‘is doing everything it can to protect the planet for future generations’, and ‘is doing enough to help avoid a climate catastrophe’ range from 20% to 40% in most countries covered.
Across all eight countries, people who use climate news on a weekly basis are even less likely to agree that their governments are doing enough to address climate change.
Current Affairs