Abstract
Individuals who identify changes in their local climate are also more likely to report that they have personally experienced global climate change. One way that people may come to recognize that their local climate is changing is through information provided by local TV weather forecasters. Using random digit dialing, 2,000 adult local TV news viewers in Virginia were surveyed to determine whether routine exposure to local TV weather forecasts influences their perceptions of extreme weather in Virginia, and their perceptions about climate change more generally. Results indicate that paying attention to TV weather forecasts is associated with beliefs that extreme weather is becoming more frequent in Virginia, which in turn is associated with stronger beliefs and concerns about climate change. These associations were strongest for individuals who trust their local TV weathercaster as a source of information about climate change, and for those who identify as politically conservative or moderate. The findings add support to the literature suggesting that TV weathercasters can play an important role in educating the public about climate change.
Highlights
Most Americans perceive climate change to be a distant threat [1,2,3], but a growing body of research on the human dimensions of climate change indicates that directly experiencing the effects of climate change increases people’s understanding of and engagement in the issue (e.g., [4, 5])
In order to assess RQ1a, perceptions of extreme weather in Virginia were regressed on exposure to local weather information
A large number (77%) of participants already trust their local weathercaster as a source of information on climate change, the results highlight the importance of trust in elite sources on perceptions about extreme weather and climate change, and it will be important for climate change communicators, including TV weathercasters, to display and maintain good, scientific credibility
Summary
Most Americans perceive climate change to be a distant threat [1,2,3], but a growing body of research on the human dimensions of climate change indicates that directly experiencing the effects of climate change increases people’s understanding of and engagement in the issue (e.g., [4, 5]). Changes in local weather patterns and seasons are a common way in which people report personally experiencing climate change [4]. Receiving weather and climate information via the local TV weather report may be one way that individuals can gain information about climate changes, when they do not spend extended time outdoors. Local weather forecasts are an accessible venue for science communication, and potentially climate change communication, that is absent of political context, which may help viewers avoid the politicized motivated reasoning that is common in many other climate communication contexts. The purpose of the present research was to examine this possibility.
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