The News You Choose: news media preferences amplify views on climate change

Abstract

How do choices among information sources reinforce political differences on topics such as climate change? Environmental sociologists have observed large-scale and long-term impacts from news media and think-tank reports, while experimental science-communication studies detect more immediate effects from variations in supplied information. Applying generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM) to recent survey data, previous work is extended to show that political ideology, education, and their interaction predict news media information choices in much the same way they predict opinions about climate change itself. Consequently, media information sources serve as intervening variables that can reinforce and, through their own independent effects, amplify existing beliefs about climate change. Results provide empirical support for selective exposure and biased assimilation as mechanisms widening political divisions on climate change in the United States. The findings fit with the reinforcing spirals framework suggesting partisan media strengthens climate change beliefs which then influences subsequent use of media.

Rethinking the link between cognitive sophistication and politically motivated reasoning

“…positively correlates-or even negatively correlates-with belief among those who identify on the political right (Bolin & Hamilton, 2018;Drummond & Fischhoff, 2017b;Ehret et al, 2017;Hamilton, 2011Hamilton, , 2016McCright & Dunlap, 2011;van der Linden et al, 2018). Consequently, the strongest partisan disagreement tends to be observed between the most educated citizens, those who would seem best equipped to parse the relevant evidence and approach bipartisan consensus on the facts of the issue.…”

U.S. Inland Pacific Northwest Wheat Farmers’ Perceived Risks: Motivating Intentions to Adapt to Climate Change?

“…In Morton et al [33] they find that uncertainty with climate change impacts actually prevents farmers from taking action in response to climate change; thus illustrating the complexity of farmers' assessment of risks associated with taking action and their level of uncertainty given potential impacts of climate change. It is important to note that levels of uncertainty are also influenced by farmers access to information, often highly partisan in nature [70,71] and can be heavily reliant on advisors who may or may not have the most accurate climate change information [33,40] and may also be part of the group-think associated with partisan identity of rural, typically more conservative, farmers [34].…”

“…These data would enable researchers and agricultural advisors to assess where interventions might be needed to elevate farmers understanding of climate risks and potentially amplify their assessment of risk [29] at least to the extent that cognitive factors associated with knowledge of climate change actually influence an individual's risk assessment [32]. Finally, structural factors that constrain and enable action on the agricultural landscape [17,71,75] are critical factors in understanding behavioral intentions. Indeed, there are broader industrialization processes which are guiding commodity production systems in the U.S. that have constrained the choices that farmers are able to make which would allow for shifting management practices towards greater resilience [17,76].…”

Media web-sites environmental communication: Operational practices and news coverage

“…This is a case study, which researched and evaluated 500 news web-sites based on the alexa.com (web traffic analysis company) ranking. The web-sites were taken from the 'news' category (https://www.alexa.com/topsites/category/ Top/News), as according to Bolin and Hamilton (2018): 'Climate change presents a substantial challenge for science communication. News media play a central role that can either be constructive, exposing their audience to different perspectives and evidence-based information, or manipulative and divisive'.…”