SpringerLink
Log in

Is social media more conducive to climate change communication behavior? The mediating role of risk perception and environmental values

  • Published:
Environment, Development and Sustainability Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Climate change communication is an important behavioral manifestation of the public’s understanding, expression, and participation in addressing climate change. Social media play an important role in the climate change knowledge communication. Does social media promote climate change communication behavior in the Chinese context? Is its effect stronger than other types of media? Combined with the research context, we divide media into central media, local media, and social media and construct the influence mechanism model of media use on climate change communication behavior. In this study, a questionnaire survey was conducted among the public in China, and 1062 valid questionnaires were empirically tested by methods of hierarchical regression and bootstrap**. According to the findings of the study, different media use has a positive effect on climate change communication behavior. While social media is more likely to be used by the public to obtain climate change-related information than central and local media (with a mean value of 3.84 for social media compared to 3.51 for central media and 3.19 for local media), it is actually the central media that have the greatest effect on climate change communication behavior. This is evident in the total effect value, where the central media have a value of 0.21, which is higher than social media’s value of 0.20 and local media’s value of 0.12. Risk perception and environmental values play an important mediating role in the influence of media use on climate change communication behavior, among which environmental values have the largest mediating effect. (Specifically, the mediating effects of environmental values were 26.83%, 31.28%, and 38.57% for central media, local media, and social media, respectively.) In addition, risk perception can also positively affect environmental values, thus forming a chain mediating effect between media use and climate change communication behavior (the confidence intervals for the chain mediating effect also exclude the numbers 0).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (United Kingdom)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Notes

  1. Agenda-setting theory is one of the classical communication theories, which means that mass communication can set the “agenda” for the public, influencing people's perception and identification of current events and their importance, and that the more issues covered by mass media, the more they are perceived by the public as the most important issues of the day.

  2. The conception of biosphere values comes from the concept of environmental values first put forward by foreign scholar Stern (1994). Biosphere values mean that individuals are in macro consideration of the whole natural environment. The ecological balance and excellent cycle need human efforts. As a part of nature, human beings should not destroy it. Human beings and nature should coexist and benefit from each other. In their daily behaviors, they should consider the costs or benefits of ecosystems, such as environmental protection and green consumption.[Stern, P. C., & Dietz, T. (1994). The value basis of environmental concern. Journal of social issues, 50(3), 65–84.].

References

  • Agin, S., & Karlsson, M. (2021). Map** the field of climate change communication 1993–2018: Geographically biased, theoretically narrow, and methodologically limited. Environmental Communication, 15(4), 431–446.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ai, P., Li, W., & Yang, W. (2021). Adolescents’ social media use and their voluntary garbage sorting intention: A sequential mediation model. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(15), 8119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen, I. (1985). From intentions to actions: A theory of planned behavior. In Action control (pp. 11–39). Springer.

  • Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ajzen, I., & Fishbein, M. (1975). A Bayesian analysis of attribution processes. Psychological Bulletin, 82(2), 261–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, W. A. (2000). The future relationship between the media, the food industry and the consumer. British Medical Bulletin, 56, 254–268.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Arlt, D., Hoppe, I., Schmitt, J. B., de Silva-Schmidt, F., & Brüggemann, M. (2018). Climate engagement in a digital age: Exploring the drivers of participation in climate discourse online in the context of COP21. Environmental Communication, 12(1), 84–98.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Auer, M. R., Zhang, Y., & Lee, P. (2014). The potential of microblogs for the study of public perceptions of climate change. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 5(3), 291–296.

    Google Scholar 

  • Austin, L., Fisher Liu, B., & **, Y. (2012). How audiences seek out crisis information: Exploring the social-mediated crisis communication model. Journal of Applied Communication Research, 40(2), 188–207.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bandura, A. (1990). Perceived self-efficacy in the exercise of control over AIDS infection. Evaluation and Program Planning, 13(1), 9–17.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barman-Adhikari, A., Rice, E., Bender, K., Lengnick-Hall, R., Yoshioka-Maxwell, A., & Rhoades, H. (2016). Social networking technology use and engagement in HIV-related risk and protective behaviors among homeless youth. Journal of Health Communication, 21(7), 809–817.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Becker, M. H. (1974). The health belief model and personal health behavior. Health Education Monographs, 2, 324–508.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Betsch, C., & Sachse, K. (2013). Debunking vaccination myths: Strong risk negations can increase perceived vaccination risks. Health Psychology, 32(2), 146–155.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bowen, C. C., Stevenor, B. A., & Davidson, S. G. (2021). How people perceive different types of social media screening and their behavioral intention to pursue employment. Computers in Human Behavior Reports, 3, 100089.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brügger, A., Morton, T. A., & Dessai, S. (2016). “Proximising” climate change reconsidered: A construal level theory perspective. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 46, 125–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buijzen, M., & Valkenburg, P. M. (2003). The unintended effects of television advertising: A parent-child survey. Communication Research, 30(5), 483–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheong, M., & Lee, V. (2010). Twittering for earth: A study on the impact of microblogging activism on Earth Hour 2009 in Australia. In Intelligent information and database systems: Second international conference, ACIIDS, Hue City, Proceedings, Part II 2 (pp. 114–123). Springer.

  • Choon, S. W., Ong, H. B., & Tan, S. H. (2019). Does risk perception limit the climate change mitigation behaviors? Environment, Development and Sustainability, 21, 1891–1917.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, M. S., Walter, F., & Bruch, H. (2008). Affective mechanisms linking dysfunctional behavior to performance in work teams: A moderated mediation study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 93(5), 945–958.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Zwart, O., Veldhuijzen, I. K., Elam, G., Aro, A. R., Abraham, T., Bishop, G. D., Voeten, H. A., Richardus, J. H., & Brug, J. (2009). Perceived threat, risk perception, and efficacy beliefs related to SARS and other (emerging) infectious diseases: Results of an international survey. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 16(1), 30–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dhenge, S. A., Ghadge, S. N., Ahire, M. C., Gorantiwar, S. D., & Shinde, M. G. (2022). Gender attitude towards environmental protection: a comparative survey during COVID-19 lockdown situation. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 1–46.

  • Dong, Y., Hu, S., & Zhu, J. (2018). From source credibility to risk perception: How and when climate information matters to action. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 136, 410–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elshirbiny, H., & Abrahamse, W. (2020). Public risk perception of climate change in Egypt: A mixed methods study of predictors and implications. Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, 10(3), 242–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, S. C., & Yu, T. Y. (2015). A risk perception model of climate change for university students. Journal of Baltic Science Education, 14(3), 339–350.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fishbein, M., & Ajzen, I. (1975). Belief, attitude, intention, and behavior: An introduction to theory and research. Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, J. D., & Fisher, W. A. (1992). Changing AIDS-risk behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 111(3), 455–474.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fisher, J. D., Fisher, W. A., Williams, S. S., & Malloy, T. E. (1994). Empirical tests of an information-motivation-behavioral skills model of AIDS-preventive behavior with gay men and heterosexual university students. Health Psychology, 13(3), 238–250.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gao, S., Li, W., Ling, S., Dou, X., & Liu, X. (2019). An empirical study on the influence path of environmental risk perception on behavioral responses in China. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(16), 2856.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, K. (2000). The body electric: Thin-ideal media and eating disorders in adolescents. Journal of Communication, 50(3), 119–143.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haws, K. L., Winterich, K. P., & Naylor, R. W. (2014). Seeing the world through GREEN-tinted glasses: Green consumption values and responses to environmentally friendly products. Journal of Consumer Psychology, 24(3), 336–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He, Z., Zhou, Y., Wang, J., Li, C., Wang, M., & Li, W. (2021). The impact of motivation, intention, and contextual factors on green purchasing behavior: New energy vehicles as an example. Business Strategy and the Environment, 30(2), 1249–1269.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hill, D., Ameenuddin, N., Chassiakos, Y. L. R., Cross, C., Radesky, J., Hutchinson, J., Levine A, Boyd, R., Mendelson, R., Moreno, M., & Swanson, W. S. (2016). Media use in school-aged children and adolescents. Pediatrics. 138(5).

  • Hitlin, S., & Piliavin, J. A. (2004). Values: Reviving a dormant concept. Annual Review of Sociology, 30, 359393.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holbert, R. L., Kwak, N., & Shah, D. V. (2003). Environmental concern, patterns of television viewing, and pro-environmental behaviors: Integrating models of media consumption and effects. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 47(2), 177–196.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang, H. (2016). Media use, environmental beliefs, self-efficacy, and pro-environmental behavior. Journal of Business Research, 69(6), 2206–2212.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iyengar, S. (1991). Is anyone responsible? How television frames political issues. University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, S., & Ting, L. (2019). Study on the emergency management for internet public opinion from the perspective of risk construction. Chinese Public Administration, 9, 118–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jun, J. W., Lee, H. S., & Park, J. H. (2009). Roles of media exposure and interpersonal experiences on country brand: The mediated risk perception model. Journal of Promotion Management, 15, 321–339.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahlor, L., & Rosenthal, S. (2009). If we seek, do we learn? Predicting knowledge of global warming. Science Communication, 30(3), 380–414.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kemp, S. (2021). Digital 2021: Global overview report. DataReportal. Recuperado de https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2021-global-overview-report

  • Kirilenko, A. P., & Stepchenkova, S. O. (2014). Public microblogging on climate change: One year of Twitter worldwide. Global Environmental Change, 26, 171–182.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lee, K. (2011). The role of media exposure, social exposure and biospheric value orientation in the environmental attitude-intention-behavior model in adolescents. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 31(4), 301–308.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leiserowitz, A. (2006). Climate change risk perception and policy preferences: The role of affect, imagery, and values. Climatic Change, 77(1), 45–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, G., Yang, L., Zhang, B., Li, X., & Chen, F. (2021). How do environmental values impact green product purchase intention? The moderating role of green trust. Environmental Science and Pollution Research, 28, 46020–46034.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, P., Han, C., & Teng, M. (2021). The influence of Internet use on pro-environmental behaviors: An integrated theoretical framework. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 164, 105162.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, X. W., & Wu, J. P. (2013). Environmental values and pro-environmental behaviors of college students: Mediating role of environmental concern. Studies of Psychology and Behavior, 11(6), 780–785. in Chinese.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, X. W., & Zhou, Y. (2017). Structure, status quo and features of youth groups’ ecological values: An empirical study based on 10 Chinese major cities. Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment, 31(9), 7–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lombardi, M. (2004). Are we getting it right? Social Science Information, 43(3), 361–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • López, M. S., Santi, M. F., Müller, G. V., Gómez, A. A., Staffolani, C., & Pomares, L. A. (2020). Climate change communication by the local digital press in northeastern Argentina: An ethical analysis. Science of the Total Environment, 707, 135737.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Loy, L. S., Hamann, K. R., & Reese, G. (2020). Navigating through the jungle of information. Informational self-efficacy predicts climate change-related media exposure, knowledge, and behaviour. Climatic Change, 163(4), 2097–2116.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, S. (2021). What fosters environmental engagement in China? Exploring the underlying pathways using the O-S-R-O-R model. Asian Journal of Communication, 31(1), 43–63.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luhmann, N. (1989). Ecological communication. University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma, H., Chen, W., Ma, H., & Yang, H. (2021). Influence of publicity and education and environmental values on the green consumption behavior of urban residents in Tibet. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(20), 10808.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Masud, M. M., Akhtar, R., Afroz, R., Al-Amin, A. Q., & Kari, F. B. (2015). Pro-environmental behavior and public understanding of climate change. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 20, 591–600.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCombs, M. (2005). A look at agenda-setting: Past, present and future. Journalism Studies, 6(4), 543–557.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McCombs, M. E., & Shaw, D. L. (1993). The evolution of agenda-setting research: Twenty-five years in the marketplace of ideas. Journal of Communication, 43(2), 58–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moser, S. C. (2010). Communicating climate change: History, challenges, process and future directions. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 1(1), 31–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers, T. A., Roser-Renouf, C., Maibach, E., & Leiserowitz, A. (2017). Exposure to the Pope’s climate change message activated convinced Americans to take certain activism actions. Global Challenges, 1(4), 1600019.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olausson, U. (2009). Global warming—global responsibility? Media frames of collective action and scientific certainty. Public Understanding of Science, 18(4), 421–436.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostman, R. E., & Parker, J. L. (1987). Impact of education, age, newspapers, and television on environmental knowledge, concerns, and behaviors. The Journal of Environmental Education, 19(1), 3–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pelcher, J., Trendafilova, S., & Graham, J. A. (2023). An evaluation of the environmental values, beliefs, norms, and behaviors of sport management students in higher education institutions. International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education.

  • Phua, J., **, S. V., & Kim, J. J. (2017). Gratifications of using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat to follow brands: The moderating effect of social comparison, trust, tie strength, and network homophily on brand identification, brand engagement, brand commitment, and membership intention. Telematics and Informatics, 34(1), 412–424.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pornpitakpan, C. (2004). The persuasiveness of source credibility: A critical review of five decades’ evidence. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34(2), 243–281.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Poudyal, N. C., Joshi, O., Hodges, D. G., Bhandari, H., & Bhattarai, P. (2021). Climate change, risk perception, and protection motivation among high-altitude residents of the Mt. Everest Region in Nepal. Ambio, 50, 505–518.

    Google Scholar 

  • Prentice-Dunn, S., & Rogers, R. W. (1986). Protection motivation theory and preventive health: Beyond the health belief model. Health Education Research, 1(3), 153–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Robelia, B. A., Greenhow, C., & Burton, L. (2011). Environmental learning in online social networks: Adopting environmentally responsible behaviors. Environmental Education Research, 17(4), 553–575.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogers, R. W. (1983). Cognitive and physiological processes in fear appeals and attitude change: A revised theory of protection motivation. In J. T. Cacioppo & R. E. Petty (Eds.), Social psychophysiology (pp. 153–176). Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenthal, S. (2022). Information sources, perceived personal experience, and climate change beliefs. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 81, 101796.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shakeela, A., & Becken, S. (2015). Understanding tourism leaders’ perceptions of risks from climate change: An assessment of policy-making processes in the Maldives using the social amplification of risk framework (SARF). Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 23(1), 65–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, R., Kobayashi, K. S. H., & Kobayashi, M. (2004). Linking experience, education, perception and earthquake preparedness. Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, 13(1), 39–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi, Z. H., **, R. R., Mu, H. J., & Qin, L. S. (2018). Study on farmers’ pro-environment behavior ased on the perspective of media education function—Analysis of the mediating effect of knowledge and values. Journal of Arid Land Resources and Environment, 32(10), 76–81. in Chinese.

    Google Scholar 

  • Siddiqui, S., & Singh, T. (2016). Social media its impact with positive and negative aspects. International Journal of Computer Applications Technology and Research, 5(2), 71–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smith, R. D. (2006). Responding to global infectious disease outbreaks: Lessons from SARS on the role of risk perception, communication and management. Social Science & Medicine, 63(12), 3113–3123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stamm, K. R., Clark, F., & Eblacas, P. R. (2000). Mass communication and public understanding of environmental problems: The case of global warming. Public Understanding of Science, 9(3), 219–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Statista. (2022). Most popular social networks worldwide as of January 2022, ranked by number of monthly active users. https://www.statista.com/statistics/272014/global-social-networks-ranked-by-number-of-users/

  • Thaker, J., Zhao, X., & Leiserowitz, A. (2017). Media use and public perceptions of global warming in India. Environmental Communication, 11(3), 353–369.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Villani, S. (2001). Impact of media on children and adolescents: A 10-year review of the research. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(4), 392–401.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vosoughi, S., Roy, D., & Aral, S. (2018). The spread of true and false news online. Science, 359(6380), 1146–1151.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, L., Morstatter, F., Hu, X., & Liu, H. (2016). Mining misinformation in social media. Big data in Complex and Social Networks, 123–152.

  • Yilmaz, V., Guleç, P., & Ari, E. (2022). Impact of climate change information of university students in Turkey on responsibility and environmental behavior through awareness and perceived risk. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 1–17.

  • Yuan, Y., & Fan, B. (2022). Protective consumption behavior under smog: Using a data-driven dynamic Bayesian network. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 1–19.

  • Zhao, X. (2009). Media use and global warming perceptions: A snapshot of the reinforcing spirals. Communication Research, 36, 698–723.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, X. (2012). Personal values and environmental concern in China and the US: The mediating role of informational media use. Communication Monographs, 79(2), 137–159.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, B. W., & Li, Y. J. (2010). On the role of news media in climate communication and its strategies and methods—Taking the report of the Copenhagen Climate Conference as an example. Modern Communication (Journal of Communication University of China), (11), 33–36. (in Chinese)

  • Zheng, B. W., & Li, Y. J. (2011). Research on climate change and climate change communication. Chinese Journal of Journalism & Communication, 33(11), 56–62. in Chinese.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zobeidi, T., Komendantova, N., & Yazdanpanah, M. (2022). Social media as a driver of the use of renewable energy: The perceptions of instagram users in Iran. Energy Policy, 161, 112721.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Major Project of National Social Science Foundation of China [grant numbers 19ZDA107, 21&ZD166]. We acknowledge Dr. Yilin **ang for his help in the data processing. We also thank the reviewers for giving us a lot of constructive comments in their busy schedules.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Economics and Management, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, Jiangsu Province, China

    Meifen Wu & Jiaqi Wang

  2. School of Business, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu Province, China

    Ruyin Long & Hong Chen

  3. The Institute for Jiangnan Culture, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu Province, China

    Ruyin Long

  4. Institute for National Security and Green Development, Jiangnan University, Wuxi, 214122, Jiangsu Province, China

    Hong Chen

Authors
  1. Meifen Wu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ruyin Long
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Hong Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jiaqi Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ruyin Long.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicting interests.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wu, M., Long, R., Chen, H. et al. Is social media more conducive to climate change communication behavior? The mediating role of risk perception and environmental values. Environ Dev Sustain (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03870-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-023-03870-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation