Voters Want to See More Climate Coverage in the Media
By Dr. Genevieve Gunther, Danielle Deiseroth, and Marcela Mulholland
Executive Summary
For decades scientists have been sounding the alarm about the climate crisis and its dire implications for our world. The current hurricane and wildfire seasons are showing us that the apocalyptic future scientists warned us about is no longer a far-off threat, it’s a present reality. Despite this, when the media covers these disasters they often do so without explicitly connecting extreme weather events and natural disasters to the climate crisis that is exacerbating them. For instance, ABC, CBS, and NBC covered dozens of stories on Hurricane Laura, yet not one included climate change. The media has a responsibility to inform viewers of the connections between climate change and the increasingly unstable world around them. It’s not just climate activists and policy wonks that want to see this kind of coverage; our polling shows that a broad-base of voters do too.
As part of a September survey, we asked voters a series of questions about how the media covers natural disasters, climate change, and the role climate change plays in exacerbating natural disasters.
First, we asked voters about how often they hear about climate change in the media. A plurality of voters (39 percent) say they hear about climate change in the media at least once a week, while 20 percent say they hear about climate change in the media at least once a month. A minority of voters (27 percent) say they hear about climate change only several times a year (14 percent), once a year or less (6 percent), or never (5 percent).
Meanwhile, more voters say they hear about natural disasters in the media on a regular basis. A plurality of voters (45 percent) say they hear about natural disasters at least once a week, while 22 percent say they hear about natural disasters at least once a month. A minority of voters (21 percent) say they hear about natural disasters only several times a year (15 percent), once a year or less (3 percent), or never (3 percent).
Next, we asked voters how closely they follow climate change in the news. A majority of voters (59 percent) say they follow climate change in the news “very closely” or “somewhat closely”. Voters who self-identify as Democrats follow climate change the most closely, with 70 percent saying they follow climate change in the news “very” or “somewhat” closely, followed by Independents (55 percent) and Republicans (51 percent).
We then asked voters if they have heard about Hurricane Laura and the wildfires in California and other West Coast states. An overwhelming majority (90 percent) of voters say they have heard about either Hurricane Laura, the wildfires, or both. While 71 percent of voters say they have heard about both Hurricane Laura and the wildfires, only 10 percent say they have heard of neither. There is little variation across party lines, as nearly the same majority of Democrats (73 percent), independents (69 percent), and Republicans (71 percent) say they have heard about both Hurricane Laura and the wildfires in California.
To assess how voters view the relationship between climate change with natural disasters, we asked voters how important they think it is for the news to make the connection between climate change and extreme weather events. A majority of voters (77 percent) say it is important to make the connection between climate change and extreme weather events. Across party lines, a majority of Democrats (88 percent), independents (71 percent), and Republicans (68 percent) all say it is important for the news to make the connection between climate change and extreme weather. Democrats express the strongest support for the news making the connection between climate change and extreme weather, as a majority (65 percent) say it is “very important” to make the connection.
Similarly, an overwhelming majority of voters want to hear if climate change is worsening an extreme weather event. A majority of Democrats (79 percent), independents (68 percent) and Republicans (66 percent) all say they want to hear on the news if climate change is worsening an extreme weather event.
Voters clearly want the media to showcase how climate change is affecting the world: A majority of voters (54 percent) say they are more likely to use news sources that talk more about climate change in stories about events related to climate change. A majority of Democrats (67 percent), a plurality of independents (46 percent), and a plurality of Republicans (46 percent) all say they are more likely to use a news source that talks more about climate change in stories about events related to climate change.
Voters also express high levels of support for more climate change stories in the media. A plurality of voters (46 percent) say they are more likely to use news sources that provide more stories about climate change. Democrats are the most likely to use news sources that provide more stories about climate change, as 57 percent say they are more likely to use those news sources, followed by Republicans (42 percent more likely) and independents (32 percent more likely).
Media coverage is critical in determining how the public perceives climate change. To give voters the information they need to make political decisions in an increasingly chaotic world, the media must cover the climate crisis with the accuracy and urgency it deserves. The science and reality couldn’t be clearer—climate-fueled planetary emergency is the context in which all issues now exist. Journalists would be wise to frame their reporting with this in mind. They can feel confident that it is not only the right thing to do, but also what voters want. .
Dr. Genevieve Gunther (@DoctorVive) is the Founder and Director of End Climate Silence
Danielle Deiseroth (@danielledeis) is the Climate Data Analyst for Data for Progress
Marcela Mulholland (@x3Marcela_) is Deputy Director for Climate for Data for Progress
Survey Methodology
From September 11 to September 14, 2020, Data for Progress conducted a survey of 1,212 likely voters nationally using web panel respondents. The sample was weighted to be representative of likely voters by age, gender, education, race, and voting history. The survey was conducted in English. The margin of error is +/- 2.8 percentage points.