Exploring how the tone of written climate change communication influences coping strategies

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the influence that various tones of written climate change communication have on coping strategies. 126 New Jersey college students responded to a quantitative questionnaire that had a passage on climate change written in one of the following tones: dreadful, cautiously optimistic, or hopeful. Students then answered 9 Likert scale questions that assessed their coping strategies in response to climate change: problem-focused, meaning-focused, and/or emotion-focused coping. Previous research has found that problem-focused and meaning-focused coping is positively correlated to pro-environmental behavior, but little research exists on what tones of climate change communication evoke problem-focused and meaning-focused coping. In this study, no statistical difference was found with respect to evoking problem-focused coping across the three tones. However, there were statistical differences in evoking meaning-focused and emotion-focused coping. Namely, those who responded to a cautiously optimistic or hopeful tone were more likely to resort to meaning-focused coping, and those who read a dreadful tone were more likely to apply emotion-focused coping. The findings of this study suggest using cautiously optimistic and hopeful tones in climate change communication in education to encourage environmental engagement and mitigate climate change related mental health concerns.