Green Narratives: How Affective Responses to Media Messages Influence Risk Perceptions and Policy Preferences About Environmental Hazards

Kathryn E. Cooper; Erik C. Nisbet

doi:10.1177/1075547016666843

Green Narratives: How Affective Responses to Media Messages Influence Risk Perceptions and Policy Preferences About Environmental Hazards

Kathryn E. Cooper^*, Erik C. Nisbet

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

30 Scopus citations

Abstract

This study examined the relationships between narrative involvement, affect, risk perceptions, and environmental policy preferences. Experiment 1 involved a 3 (news, documentary, entertainment) × 2 (hydraulic fracturing, genetically modified organisms) mixed between- and within-subjects experiment. Results indicated a serial mediation model in which narrative involvement increased the likelihood of a negative affective response, in turn increasing risk perceptions and policy preferences for stricter regulation of environmental hazards. In Experiment 2, the pathway was tested for positively valenced content. Narrative involvement with positively valenced media produced a significantly lower negative affective response than negatively valenced media, but no difference terms of positive affect.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	626-654
Number of pages	29
Journal	Science Communication
Volume	38
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547016666843
State	Published - Oct 1 2016
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

affect
documentary
environmental policy
narrative
risk perception

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Sociology and Political Science

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10.1177/1075547016666843

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title = "Green Narratives: How Affective Responses to Media Messages Influence Risk Perceptions and Policy Preferences About Environmental Hazards",

abstract = "This study examined the relationships between narrative involvement, affect, risk perceptions, and environmental policy preferences. Experiment 1 involved a 3 (news, documentary, entertainment) × 2 (hydraulic fracturing, genetically modified organisms) mixed between- and within-subjects experiment. Results indicated a serial mediation model in which narrative involvement increased the likelihood of a negative affective response, in turn increasing risk perceptions and policy preferences for stricter regulation of environmental hazards. In Experiment 2, the pathway was tested for positively valenced content. Narrative involvement with positively valenced media produced a significantly lower negative affective response than negatively valenced media, but no difference terms of positive affect.",

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AB - This study examined the relationships between narrative involvement, affect, risk perceptions, and environmental policy preferences. Experiment 1 involved a 3 (news, documentary, entertainment) × 2 (hydraulic fracturing, genetically modified organisms) mixed between- and within-subjects experiment. Results indicated a serial mediation model in which narrative involvement increased the likelihood of a negative affective response, in turn increasing risk perceptions and policy preferences for stricter regulation of environmental hazards. In Experiment 2, the pathway was tested for positively valenced content. Narrative involvement with positively valenced media produced a significantly lower negative affective response than negatively valenced media, but no difference terms of positive affect.

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Green Narratives: How Affective Responses to Media Messages Influence Risk Perceptions and Policy Preferences About Environmental Hazards

Abstract

Keywords

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