Why do policy and public opinion lag behind in the climate fight? Marit Bogert investigated the influence of worldview, social norms and media.
Climate change is one of the most urgent and disruptive problems the world is currently facing. While scientists agree on the existence and causes of climate change and the need for rapid and effective action, there is currently a lack of global policies that will reliably achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. At the same time, there is a gap between the consensus among scientists and the perception of the general public, both about the existence and the approach to this problem (a consensus gap). Bogert's dissertation focuses on this gap and approaches it as a process that starts with the production of scientific information and leads through several steps to individual opinions about climate change. She examines multiple factors that play a role in this process: worldview, media use, media content, and social context. How do these factors contribute to the consensus gap, and how can they play a role in potentially bridging it?
Filters
Her research focuses on four filters - the Dominant Social Paradigm (DSP, or the unwritten norms and values in society), media framing, media use and worldview - which each influence a person's opinion about climate change in their own way. The DSP of industrialized societies emphasizes economic growth and individualism, with nature and truly sustainable policies often losing out. Nevertheless, it is important to get people more involved in effective climate policy. The research shows that trust in science and the use of new or user-generated (social) media are positively related to the belief in climate change as a man-made problem. Consistent media content about climate change is essential for public opinion. Nevertheless, analysis of popular American magazines shows that there are inconsistencies in how responsibility for climate change is presented, with text and images sometimes contradicting each other. A person's worldview and social interactions also influence the personal perception of climate change.
Conflicting narratives
Bogert’s research shows that the way our society and media system functions negatively influences the consensus gap on climate change. The industrialized DSP and its economic and political pressures directly contribute to media content that can create confusion and conflicting narratives about the causes, possible solutions and responsible actors for climate change. The industrialized DSP and its underlying systems are not suited to address inaccurate media representations of climate change or to bridge the gap between society and nature. The research describes options for implementing the necessary changes towards a different DSP and a more effective approach to climate research and communication. This can be done by focusing on promoting different types of human-nature relations through new collective goals and values, and reforms in the media system. In addition, there is a role for academia and (environmental) scientists in changing our collective response to climate change.
The research consists of four parts, each with its own approach. The first part, about the DSP and our relationship with nature, is based on literature research. The second part, about the influence of trust in science and use of different types of media, was done by means of meta-analysis (comparing and combining existing research to draw a final conclusion). The third part, about the content of journal articles about climate change, is based on content analysis (analysis of what exactly is in the text and images of an article). The last part, about the influence of worldview, media use and social interaction about climate change (for example how often you talk about it with others) on someone's opinion about climate, is based on surveys that were then analyzed with static models.
More information on the thesis
