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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Effects Of Conspiracy Rhetoric On Views About The Consequences Of Climate Change And Support For Direct Carbon Capture, Toby Bolsen, Risa Palm, Justin Kingsland
Effects Of Conspiracy Rhetoric On Views About The Consequences Of Climate Change And Support For Direct Carbon Capture, Toby Bolsen, Risa Palm, Justin Kingsland
USI Publications
We implemented two survey-experiments to test the impact of conspiracy rhetoric on the views of US residents about the consequences of climate change and support for direct carbon capture. The first study focused on how receptive respondents were to a scientific report on the impacts of climate change when they were also presented with conspiracy-based criticism of the report’s conclusions. The second study explored how conspiracy rhetoric criticizing a report recommending the consideration of direct carbon capture influences support for the technology. We assess the effects of exposure to the conspiracy claims both in isolation and in contexts where scientific …
The Impact Of Message Source On The Effectiveness Of Communications About Climate Change, Toby Bolsen, Risa Palm, Justin Kingsland
The Impact Of Message Source On The Effectiveness Of Communications About Climate Change, Toby Bolsen, Risa Palm, Justin Kingsland
USI Publications
We conducted a survey experiment in which we presented 1,850 respondents with one of two versions of an appeal emphasizing either the threats to the environment or threats to national security of the United States as a result of climate change. The messages were attributed to one of four sources: Republican Party leaders, Democratic Party leaders, military officials, or climate scientists. The results reveal that messages attributed to military leaders, or to Republican Party leaders, can enhance the impact of the appeal. This finding underscores the importance that the source of any communication can have on its overall effectiveness.