Public Perception Of Climate Change Research Articles

Public perceptions of the health impacts of climate change: a survey study in Greece

Abstract Background Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. Despite the tremendous challenges, many people remain unaware of the human health implications of climate change. People perceptions about the health harms of climate change can increase public support for the action needed to reduce climate change. The aim of this study was to examine the public perception of climate change as a human health issue in Greece. Methods A population survey study was conducted from October to December 2023 in the municipalities of Messini and Alexandroupoli, Greece, following proportional quota sampling. A questionnaire was developed and included measures about the socio-demographic background of participants, their understanding of key facts about climate change and their views about climate change thread to human health. Results 406 individuals with a mean age 37.7 (sd = 14.8) participated in the study. Participants understood that climate change is happening (93.6%) and 54% of them think climate change is mostly or entirely caused by human activities, whereas 38% think it is caused equally by human activities and natural causes, and about 8% think climate change is mostly or entirely caused by natural causes. A majority of participants reported that climate change has adversely affected the health of people in various way, either a moderate amount or a great deal, including physical or mental harm from forest fires (90%), physical or mental harm from storms and floods (87%), heat-related illnesses (82%), illness due to reduced outdoor air quality (70%) and loss of housing for residents displaced by extreme weather events (70%). Conclusions Participants viewed climate change as an important cause of health harm, however they partially understood that climate change is caused by humans. Public health authorities should educate the public and policymakers about the climate change and advocate for policies to address the human health challenges of climate change. Key messages • Public health authorities should educate the public and policymakers about the climate change problem and its impact to human health. • Providing people with information about the health harms of climate change can increase public support for the actions needed to reduce emissions.

‘Mitigation is global, adaptation is local’: An assessment of the framing of climate change in Nigerian and South African newspapers

The economic impact of climate change, especially in Africa, is tremendous. As Africans battle with severe weather conditions like floods and droughts, their limited infrastructure is overstretched and, in most cases, cannot withstand the impact. The rains are flooding cities in Nigeria as drought ravages cities in South Africa. When events like these occur, people look to the media for information, and studies have shown that the media can influence public perception of climate change through the way they frame the issue. Using the issue-specific frames of mitigation and adaptation, this study analysed Nigerian and South African newspapers’ coverage of climate change. The study spanned 9 months (January-September 2018), and the online editions of The Punch, Leadership, Mail & Guardian and News Everyday were content-analysed quantitatively using tables and frequencies, and qualitatively, using verbatim quotes. A total of 90 stories were obtained from the four newspapers, with the straight news format as the most used story genre. The major sources of news stories on climate change were the reporters, followed by experts/private individuals. The adaptation frame was the most used, showing that the African media understands the need to mobilise citizens locally for a collective fight against climate change.

Influence of Media Framing on Public Perception of Climate Change

Influence of Media Framing on Public Perception of Climate Change

Multidimensional Cross-Country Measurement of Climate Change Perceptions

ABSTRACT Understanding public perceptions of climate change is crucial for more targeted communication and better-informed policymaking. Moreover, the perceptions of climate change encompass different aspects and thus need to be defined and measured using a multidimensional approach. In this paper, we introduce the Climate Perceptions Index (CPI), a composite measure that comprehensively assesses the public perceptions of climate change, based on a sample of over 100 thousand active Facebook users across 107 countries. We construct the CPI as an aggregate of three distinct dimensions that quantify the awareness of climate change, risk perception, and commitment to action. The results show that the extent of climate change perceptions varies significantly across countries and across dimensions. Countries with the highest and lowest scores globally can be found in almost all regions, and across all levels of socio-economic development. Furthermore, we analyze the relationships between the CPI dimensions and find that the influence of risk perception on commitment to action is the strongest at the lowest levels of climate change awareness. This highlights the possibility of climate change risk normalization at higher levels of awareness, and further shows that effective policies and strategies must not only focus on raising knowledge about climate change, but also overcome the normalization of its threats.

Public perceptions of climate change during the COVID-19 crisis: Evidence from social media data in China

An emerging body of literature highlights the impact of crises and disasters in shaping climate change attitudes, yet the findings have been equivocal. The outbreak and spread of COVID-19 have posed great threats worldwide, but it also provides opportunities to explore the impact of crises in natural settings. Based on social media data in the early stage of the emergence of the pandemic in China, this study addresses the controversy and examines the extent to which the outburst of COVID-19 influences climate change attitudes. Frequency and popularity analyses of the posts suggest that public attention shifted toward the devastating impacts of the epidemic, whereas sentiment analyses indicate that the posts contain a more positive sentiment as people are more proactive in taking action to address climate change after the coronavirus outbreak. This study provides us with a more nuanced understanding of the underlying influencing factors of climate change attitudes and evaluates the implications of the pandemic and other uncertain events on environmental concerns.

The Role of Media in Shaping Public Perception of Climate Change

Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time and the media can play a vital role in shaping public perception and creating awareness to the people. This paper therefore looks at the Role of Media in Shaping Public Perception of Climate Change. This study anchored on framing theory while desk research method was adopted to obtain relevant data from journals etc. The study employed and makes use of secondary data from previously conducted research. The study observes to a very high extent that social media influences public discourse and attitudes towards climate change and can encourage people to take more action on climate change. The findings indicate that new media platforms, such as social media, online news sites, and blogs, are vital in shaping Nigerians’ views on climate change and significantly influence Nigerians’ perceptions of climate change. The study recommends enhancing public education and awareness of climate change through new media platforms.

Using Data Science to Assess the Impact of Disaster Event on Climate Change Belief: Case of Australian Bushfire Catastrophe

Australia, vulnerable to bushfire incidents due to its unique climatic conditions, witnessed a transformative event in the 2019-2020 bushfire season. This research examines the impact of these bushfires on public perception of climate change. Leveraging robust statistical techniques, including McNemar's hypothesis testing and logistic regression, the study deciphers survey data collated pre and post these fires. The study's hypothesis that post-fire respondents are more likely to acknowledge climate change's role is confirmed. Factors such as education, political affiliation, and support for fossil fuel reduction are identified as influential predictors of climate change belief. The analysis also highlights the complex interplay of demographic characteristics and media exposure in shaping attitudes. Notably, direct firebush exposure showed a nuanced relationship with belief. The research underscores a significant shift in Australian attitudes toward climate change following the bushfires. These findings contribute to our understanding of public opinion dynamics and the role of experiential factors in climate change belief.

Effects of communicating the rise of climate migration on public perceptions of climate change and migration

Climate change-induced migration is a rapidly increasing phenomenon estimated to affect millions of people in the coming decades. With increasing media coverage of climate migration, including within the United States, it is critical to understand how to effectively communicate about this issue. In two high-powered experiments of U.S. Democrats and Republicans (& leaners; Study 1: N = 1452; Study 2: N = 1873), we test the effects of fictional news coverage about domestic and international climate-induced migration on climate change and migration risk perceptions, warmth toward migrants, and policy support. We also tested whether including a personal story about a specific migrant alongside numerical trends could increase support for climate change mitigation and aiding potential migrants. Impacts on climate outcomes were minimal: in Study 1, those exposed to different message frames reported similar climate policy support and risk perception in Study 1, and, in Study 2, domestic (but not international) climate migration coverage slightly increased climate risk perceptions and marginally increased mitigation policy support compared to a no-message baseline. In both studies, international migration was perceived as riskier to Americans than domestic migration, and coverage of international migration heighted this perceived risk. Coverage of domestic climate migration, on the other hand, did not boost risk perceptions of that type of migration. Furthermore, coverage of international climate migration led to greater support for adaptation infrastructure to help potential migrants stay home but did not affect support for policies to help migration. Contrary to expectations, the inclusion of personal stories did not affect warmth toward migrants in either study. Political affiliation dominated associations with all climate change and migration outcomes, likely obscuring potential framing effects. These results suggest that coverage about climate-induced migration may face challenges in shifting entrenched public opinion and policy support. Communicators should be aware of the limitations of using this type of coverage to promote constructive actions to address climate change and migration.

Exploring the link between drought‐related terms and public interests: Global insights from LSTM‐based predictions and Google Trends analysis

AbstractEffective drought monitoring is of paramount importance in hydrology. It aids in mitigating the detrimental effects of water scarcity, facilitates sustainable resource management, and informs policy decisions. Therefore, it is crucial to comprehensively comprehend the dynamics and trends of drought‐related phenomena. This study aims to explore the relationship between six low water quantity terms including drought, water crisis, water scarcity, water shortage, water stress, and water insecurity and some socio‐economic, geographic, and demographic parameters for different regions of the world and to predict the future trend of public interest in the mentioned terms using Long Short‐Term Memory neural network (LSTM) models. Google Trend data analysis was used to examine the public interest in these terms from 2017 to 2022. The LSTM models were trained using historical data on the studied terms, and their performance was evaluated using Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) indicator. The Google Trend data analysis showed that public interest in water shortage and water insecurity increased significantly from 2017 to 2022. The LSTM models showed promising results for predicting future trends in the mentioned water related issues, with RMSE scores (dimensionless) ranging from 0.04 to 0.43. The most significant socio‐economic, geographic and demographic parameters were found to be population, life expectancy, access to drinking water, and access to Internet while there was no correlation between precipitation and searched terms. The results suggest that LSTM models can be an effective tool for forecasting water related issues and emphasizes the importance of socio‐economic, geographic and demographic parameters in the public search behaviour around the world. The study also highlights the increasing public awareness of water related issues and the need for sustainable water management practices, particularly in regions with high water shortage and insecurity. The LSTM‐based prediction models in this study have practical applications in early warning systems for droughts, community education on water conservation, prioritizing vulnerable areas, assessing public perception of climate change's relation to droughts, and evaluating water policies. Further research is needed to improve the accuracy of these models incorporating the effective parameters and to develop effective strategies for managing water resources in regions facing water scarcity.

Pandemic-Induced Shifts in Climate Change Perception and Energy Consumption Behaviors: A Cross-Country Analysis of Belgium, Italy, Romania, and Sweden

This research explores the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on consumer behavior and preferences related to household energy consumption through actions to fight climate change in Belgium, Romania, Italy, and Sweden. Using data from two Eurobarometer surveys conducted in 2019 and 2021, the study examines shifts in climate change perception, actions to combat climate change, and the influence of socio-economic and demographic variables on these actions. Depending on the country, the findings reveal significant pandemic-induced changes in public perceptions of climate change and personal actions to combat it. Age, gender, and education level were found to influence climate change actions. Financial constraints also significantly influenced the adoption of energy-efficient behaviors. Our research enriches existing knowledge by exploring the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on climate change perceptions and actions across diverse European countries, shedding light on the interplay between global crises and sustainability. The research methodology, including chi-square tests, logistic regression, and effect size measurements, provides a robust framework for understanding how economic factors and consumer behaviors are contributing to the development of effective energy policies.

The Construction of Climate Change Discourse in Online News Comment Sections: A Critical Discourse Analysis

This study examines the construction of climate change discourse in online news comment sections using Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA). The study highlights the importance of language and power dynamics in shaping climate change discourse and the need to consider social justice implications. The findings suggest that media coverage significantly shapes public perceptions of climate change, and efforts should be made to promote scientific literacy and prioritise the needs of vulnerable communities in climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts. The study provides recommendations for media outlets, policymakers, and the public to raise awareness about the urgency of climate change and ensure equitable and just solutions.

Climate change and national security

Everyone knows there is a climate crisis at hand and that humankind is to blame. Drastic measures are needed now to arrest human-induced climate change from greenhouse gas emissions. Or maybe not. The first part of this article will show that prevailing narratives and public perceptions of climate change are distorted by a series of exaggerations. The second part of the article examines efforts to link climate change to US national security. And the final part of the article explains why current climate policies pose a greater threat to US national security than the climate does.

Public Perceptions of Climate Change and Health-A Cross-Sectional Survey Study.

Climate change is inseparably linked to human health. Although there is growing awareness of the threats to human health caused by climate change, it remains unclear how the German population perceives the relevance of climate change and its health consequences. Between May and September 2022, German residents were invited to participate in a cross-sectional online survey that explored three content areas: (1) the relevance of climate change, (2) health risks in connection with climate change and (3) collective and individual options for action against climate change. A total of 697 full data sets were collected for analysis (72% female, 51% ≥55 years old). The majority of participants agreed that human-induced climate change exists (85%), and that it has an impact on human health (83%). They also perceived the global population to be more strongly impacted by climate change than themselves (89% versus 68%). Most participants (76%) claimed to personally contribute to climate protection and 23% felt that their city or council contributed to climate protection. Although the majority of participants saw climate change as a threat to human health, they perceived other population groups to be most strongly affected. Cognitive dissonance might explain this lack of individual concern and one approach to addressing such distorted perceptions might be the dissemination of appropriate risk communication with health professionals involved in the communication.

Climate values as predictor of climate change perception in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Understanding public perceptions of climate change and how individuals perceive it is critical to developing effective communication strategies, policies, and socially robust technologies to relieve the risks of climate change. Despite the growing literature on climate change, until now, researchers in Arab countries have not been interested in studying citizens' perceptions of climate change or identifying the factors that predict it. This study aimed to identify and understand the nature and dynamics of public perceptions of climate change among Arab citizens and detect the level of climate change perception (CCP) and climate values (CV). Also, to detect the predictability of CCP from CV. As well as to reveal the differences between CCP and CV. A random sample consisted of 465 participants (236 male and 229 female), residents of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; their ages ranged from 30 years and over. The Climate Change Perception Questionnaire (CCPQ) and Climate Values Questionnaire (CVQ) were applied online. The results found average levels of CCP and CV among the study sample. The results also revealed significant statistical differences in the CCP and CV due to gender in favor of females. As well as, there were significant statistical differences in the CCP due to the career field in favor of agriculture, engineering, and construction workers. Also, there were statistical differences in the emotional subscale of climate perception and CV due to age groups in favor of individuals whose ages ranged from 30 to 45 years. The results also found that the CV were a statistically significant predictor (1.2% of total variance) of climate perception. The current study showed an average level of CCP and CV among individuals in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian. The findings also concluded that individuals' perceptions of climate change are an individual response determined by the individual's gender, age, and career field and are affected by his values about climate. These findings shed light on the need for climate communications to increase the level of CCP and CV, especially among males and individuals in the age group over 45 years and individuals working in various career fields, whether education, engineering and construction, and commerce and business, etc.; to improve the engagement in mitigation and adaptation measures to climate change.

Public Perceptions of Climate Change and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

A cross-sectional survey was administered to adults in the United States using Amazon Mechanical Turk in December 2021 to assess public perceptions of climate change, healthcare, and plastic surgery. Incomplete responses were excluded from analysis. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine predictors of responses. There were 890 complete responses. Most participants strongly agreed or agreed that climate change is happening (89%). Fewer believed that healthcare has an impact on climate change (62%), with greater odds among respondents with an associate's degree or higher (odds ratio 2.8, P < 0.001). After they were given information about the impact of healthcare on climate change, most respondents were more worried about the effects of cosmetic plastic surgery (64%). Many respondents would be willing to engage in personal climate change mitigation measures if undergoing surgery and pay higher professional fees to support sustainable hospital practices. Most Americans believe climate change is happening, but fewer believe healthcare has an impact on climate change. Knowledge regarding the impact of healthcare and surgery on climate change may make patients more worried about the effects of plastic surgery on climate change, but patients may be willing to personally mitigate climate impacts of surgery.

Perceived Government Control and its Influence on Climate Change Knowledge and Perceptions: Applications for Effective Communication

Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing the global agricultural food system at the current moment. While scientists agree that anthropogenic climate change is a critical issue, many United States residents remain skeptical, presenting a significant communication challenge. Understanding the factors influencing public perceptions of climate change are essential to informing agricultural and environmental communication efforts if they are to be effective at mitigating its effects. Previous studies have identified political affiliation and ideology as key predictors for climate change perceptions; however, understanding more detailed components of political ideology and affiliation could strengthen the predictive capacity of these variables. The current study explored the predictive capacity of perceptions of government control on environmental behavior related to political affiliation and ideology to inform effective communication based on climate change knowledge. Using an online survey of U.S. residents, political ideology and affiliation were found to be important predictors of climate change knowledge but including perceptions of government control on environmental behavior expanded their predictive capacity. Agricultural and environmental communicators are encouraged to integrate more nuanced components of political affiliation and ideology, such as perceptions of government control, into their messaging strategies to increase potential message uptake in the midst of a politically polarized media environment. Future research should identify and explore other aspects of political affiliation and ideology, such as economic and social factors, that may influence the public’s perception of climate change and its related policy implications.

Public Perceptions of Climate Change and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

Public Perceptions of Climate Change and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

The Impact of Post-Covid-19 Economic Recession on Public Perception of Climate Change and Environmental Behavior in Pakistan

The interconnection between economic development, fervid crossovers in the frame of contagious diseases, and environmental problems, in particular, have, until now, seen less scrutiny from environmental economists. Empirical evidence suggests that great economic recessions have proven to affect the prioritization of environmental and climate protection. The current study surveys the perception of the residents of Lahore, Pakistan regarding their environmental perception and awareness of climate change issues at the time of post-COVID-19 economic recession. Furthermore, the present study investigates several economic factors including the impact of economic recession influencing the environmental behavior of mainstream society. A cross-sectional quantitative research design was utilized to gather data from 343 respondents belonging to a public university in Pakistan. To statistically analyze the date, chi square test and multinomial logistic regression was utilized to examine significant economic factors associated with environmental behaviors. The findings reveal that climate change is viewed as one of the main ecological problems in Lahore, Pakistan. Furthermore, significant association was found between individual’s socioeconomic background and impact of economic recession with their prioritization of climate action. The present research has several implications as identifying rising challenges of economic and climate-related threats can aid in adopting a more dynamic approach to strategic and structural investments. The current paper suggests robust policy interventions against financial instability to ensure collective as well as individual effort against climate change for a stable and sustainable future.

Evolution of the Knowledge Mapping of Climate Change Communication Research: Basic Status, Research Hotspots, and Prospects.

Climate change communication is a crucial strategy for addressing the major challenges of climate change, and the knowledge mapping analysis and overview of it helps to clarify research progress. Based on CiteSpace, 428 pieces of domestic and foreign literature are collected to clarify the basic status of climate change communication research and summarize research hotspots and prospects. The study found that: (1) The earliest traceable English literature on climate change communication appeared in 2000. The number of articles published has risen steadily since 2008, reaching its first peak in 2015. (2) In contrast, research into Chinese climate change communication began late and progressed slowly. The Chinese literature on climate change communication first appeared in 2009. Although domestic research generally continues to pay attention to this phenomenon, there is still room for development compared with international research. (3) The research hotspots for climate change communication are obtained through keyword co-occurrence analysis. Public perceptions of climate change are strongly influenced by political ideology. Since climate change has political attributes, people from different political parties or groups form their views on climate change through identity protection. (4) The research content on climate change communication can be summarized into the following six aspects: the development of climate change communication research; differences in public perceptions of climate change; factors influencing climate change communication; key elements of the climate change communication process; the important role of the media in climate change communication; and effective strategies for climate change communication. Finally, the shortcomings of this study are summarized and future research prospects on climate change communication are put forward from the perspectives of research methods, research contexts, and research paradigms.

Correction to: Changing climate, changing minds? The effects of natural disasters on public perceptions of climate change

Correction to: Changing climate, changing minds? The effects of natural disasters on public perceptions of climate change