Landsman, P. J. (2021). Combatting Polarization And Politicization: Re-framing Climate Change To The American Public. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.14418/wes01.1.2413
Climate change is arguably the greatest issue facing the United States, but there has been minimal policy to address any of the impacts. I argue that this stagnancy comes from the intense politicization and polarization surrounding the issue. My research uses an experimental survey deployed to members of the American public to examine if changing the communication and messaging strategies surround climate change—in other words, re-framing the issue—is effective in motivating climate action. My research discovers that Republican aversion to climate change mitigation is deeply intrenched to the point that any re-framing largely ineffective at changing people’s prioritization of climate policy. Implications of my research include further research new communication strategies, and I offer suggestions for an approach of de-emphasizing climate change in policy discourse.