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What drives public opinion on climate change? (political mobilization by elites and advocacy groups)
http://www.springer.com/about+springer/media/springer+select?SGWID=0-11001-6-1343221-0[font face=Times, Times New Roman, Serif]New York / Heidelberg, 6 February 2012
[font size=5]What drives public opinion on climate change? [/font]
[font size=4]New study says political mobilization by elites and advocacy groups is driving factor in influencing concern about climate change[/font]
[font size=3]Public concern about climate change has varied widely over the past few decades. For example, Gallup has been polling individuals about how much they personally worry about climate change. In 2004, 26 percent of the respondents stated that they worried “a great deal.” By 2007, this proportion had risen to 41 percent. But by 2010, this fraction dropped to 28 percent. Why?
In a new study published in the Springer journal Climatic Change, Robert Brulle from Drexel University in Philadelphia, USA, and colleagues set out to identify the informational, cultural and political processes that influence public concern about climate change.
The researchers reveal that the driving factor that most influences public opinion on climate change is the mobilizing efforts of advocacy groups and elites. The study conducted an empirical analysis of the factors affecting U.S. public concern about the threat of climate change between January 2002 and December 2010. The five factors that were examined were extreme weather events, public access to accurate scientific information, media coverage, elite cues and movement/countermovement advocacy.
The study revealed that, while media coverage exerts an important influence, this coverage is itself largely a function of elite cues and economic factors. Weather extremes have no effect on aggregate public opinion, and providing scientific information to the public on climate change has a minimal effect. The implication would seem to be that information-based science advocacy has had only a minor effect on public concern, while political mobilization by elites and advocacy groups is critical in influencing climate change concern.
…[/font][/font]
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10584-012-0403-y (currently not working)
[font size=5]What drives public opinion on climate change? [/font]
[font size=4]New study says political mobilization by elites and advocacy groups is driving factor in influencing concern about climate change[/font]
[font size=3]Public concern about climate change has varied widely over the past few decades. For example, Gallup has been polling individuals about how much they personally worry about climate change. In 2004, 26 percent of the respondents stated that they worried “a great deal.” By 2007, this proportion had risen to 41 percent. But by 2010, this fraction dropped to 28 percent. Why?
In a new study published in the Springer journal Climatic Change, Robert Brulle from Drexel University in Philadelphia, USA, and colleagues set out to identify the informational, cultural and political processes that influence public concern about climate change.
The researchers reveal that the driving factor that most influences public opinion on climate change is the mobilizing efforts of advocacy groups and elites. The study conducted an empirical analysis of the factors affecting U.S. public concern about the threat of climate change between January 2002 and December 2010. The five factors that were examined were extreme weather events, public access to accurate scientific information, media coverage, elite cues and movement/countermovement advocacy.
The study revealed that, while media coverage exerts an important influence, this coverage is itself largely a function of elite cues and economic factors. Weather extremes have no effect on aggregate public opinion, and providing scientific information to the public on climate change has a minimal effect. The implication would seem to be that information-based science advocacy has had only a minor effect on public concern, while political mobilization by elites and advocacy groups is critical in influencing climate change concern.
…[/font][/font]
http://www.springerlink.com/content/k17856khp026w174/
[font face=Times, Times New Roman, Serif][font size=5]Shifting public opinion on climate change: an empirical assessment of factors influencing concern over climate change in the U.S., 2002–2010[/font]
Robert J. Brulle, Jason Carmichael and J. Craig Jenkins
[font size=4]Abstract[/font]
[font size=3]This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the factors affecting U.S. public concern about the threat of climate change between January 2002 and December 2010. Utilizing Stimson’s method of constructing aggregate opinion measures, data from 74 separate surveys over a 9-year period are used to construct quarterly measures of public concern over global climate change. We examine five factors that should account for changes in levels of concern: 1) extreme weather events, 2) public access to accurate scientific information, 3) media coverage, 4) elite cues, and 5) movement/countermovement advocacy. A time-series analysis indicates that elite cues and structural economic factors have the largest effect on the level of public concern about climate change. While media coverage exerts an important influence, this coverage is itself largely a function of elite cues and economic factors. Weather extremes have no effect on aggregate public opinion. Promulgation of scientific information to the public on climate change has a minimal effect. The implication would seem to be that information-based science advocacy has had only a minor effect on public concern, while political mobilization by elites and advocacy groups is critical in influencing climate change concern.[/font][/font]
Robert J. Brulle, Jason Carmichael and J. Craig Jenkins
[font size=4]Abstract[/font]
[font size=3]This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the factors affecting U.S. public concern about the threat of climate change between January 2002 and December 2010. Utilizing Stimson’s method of constructing aggregate opinion measures, data from 74 separate surveys over a 9-year period are used to construct quarterly measures of public concern over global climate change. We examine five factors that should account for changes in levels of concern: 1) extreme weather events, 2) public access to accurate scientific information, 3) media coverage, 4) elite cues, and 5) movement/countermovement advocacy. A time-series analysis indicates that elite cues and structural economic factors have the largest effect on the level of public concern about climate change. While media coverage exerts an important influence, this coverage is itself largely a function of elite cues and economic factors. Weather extremes have no effect on aggregate public opinion. Promulgation of scientific information to the public on climate change has a minimal effect. The implication would seem to be that information-based science advocacy has had only a minor effect on public concern, while political mobilization by elites and advocacy groups is critical in influencing climate change concern.[/font][/font]
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