The Power Of Media In Climate Change Communication: Examining The Effectiveness Of News Outlets, Social Media Platforms, And Environmental Campaigns In Driving Behavioural And Policy Change

Abstract

The research, under the title "The Power of Media in Climate Change Communication: Examining the Effectiveness of News Outlets, Social Media Platforms, and Environmental Campaigns in Driving Behavioral and Policy Change," was carried out to show how various media types may be used in informing the public, in eliciting the behavior change and the like. An approach was employed that is a combination of a quantitative survey answered by 350 respondents and a qualitative assessment of the participants' responses towards a specific theme. The outcome was different: the top way of increasing the profile of the environment and the promotion of the behavioral change was through social media platforms, followed by environmental campaigns and news outlets. The computational statistical approach also showed that media exposure, awareness, and behavioral adaptation have a strong positive correlation. The regression findings have endorsed that the media engagement was responsible for 56% of the variation in the climate-friendly behaviors observed. And, among the contributors to the policy support aspect, the environment campaigns played the vital role (R² = 0.47). At the same time, the qualitative data indicated that the interactive communication, emotional storytelling, and relatable messaging put forth by the media are the key factors responsible for people's shift to a green and sustainable lifestyle. Social media was seen as a place where one could be part of real-time engagement and mobilization, while the traditional way of news delivery gave the information its credibility and depth. To sum up, the combined results indisputably show that different media forms contribute to the formation of climate change viewpoints, support of informed decision-making, and stimulation of both individual and collective actions leading to environmental sustainability. Media, therefore, acts as a crucial link between the scientific discussion on climate change and the public reaction to it.