The Effect of Social Media sharing of Climate Change experiences on Opinions and Behavior."

Keywords: Climate Change, Social Media, Personal Experience, Opinion
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

People's response to Climate change and its effects can be strongly impacted by their social media interactions. However, awareness may not lead to belief or action toward mitigation efforts. Only a third of the general public is “Alarmed” about climate change (Yale Program on Climate Change Communication 2021), leaving 2/3 of the population either unmotivated or uninterested in climate change and mitigation efforts. This project focuses on the effect that social media sharing of climate change experiences has on opinions and behavior related to climate change adaptation. There is importance in determining whether social media messages about the sharer’s own personal experience of a climate-related natural hazard motivate any change in opinion or behavior of the receiver relative to climate change. Personal experience shared through various social media outlets may be associated with change in opinion and behavior in the context of climate change. I will address this question with a survey experiment, asking responders to engage with various social media posts. Message treatments will be focused on the effects of climate-related extreme weather events. Results will describe the association between social media messages about climate change impacts and climate-related opinions and behaviors. Findings may be useful to inform communication and action-based campaigns.