The role of personal experience and media exposure on personal and impersonal risk perceptions and policy support: the case of global warming

Abstract

The impersonal impact hypothesis states that media exposure and personal experience influence one's impersonal and personal risk perceptions, respectively. This investigation examined the relationships among US consumers' (N = 572) media exposure, personal experience, risk perceptions, and policy support in the context of global warming. This investigation provided mixed support for the impersonal impact hypothesis such that news and climate/science media exposure did not predict impersonal impact. Personal experience predicted both impersonal and personal risk perceptions. We further examined how knowledge of global warming and trust in scientists mediated the relationships between media exposure, personal experience, and risk perceptions. It revealed that impersonal impact, but not personal impact, supported policy to alleviate global warming. Both theoretical and practical implications were discussed.