Frame Analysis in Climate Change Communication

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mike S. Schäfer ◽  
Saffron O'Neill
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Experimental Research ◽  
Frame Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Media Portrayals ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
Methodological Approaches

Framing—selecting certain aspects of a given issue and making them more salient in communication in order to “frame” the issue in a specific way—is a key concept in the study of communication. At the same time, it has been used very differently in scholarship, leading some to declare it a “fractured paradigm,” or an idea whose usefulness has expired. In studies of climate change communication, frame analyses have been used numerous times and in various ways, from formal framing approaches (e.g., episodic vs. thematic framing) to topical frames (both generic and issue-specific). Using methodological approaches of frame analysis from content analysis over discourse analysis and qualitative studies to experimental research, this research has brought valuable insights into media portrayals of climate change in different countries and their effects on audiences—even though it still has limitations that should be remedied in future research.

Content Analysis in Climate Change Communication

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Metag
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Quantitative Analysis ◽  
Qualitative Analysis ◽  
Media Coverage ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Linguistic Features ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
Content Analyses

Content analysis is one of the most frequently used methods in climate change communication research. Studies implementing content analysis investigate how climate change is presented in mass media or other communication content. Quantitative content analysis develops a standardized codebook to code content systematically, which then allows for statistical analysis. Qualitative analysis relies on interpretative methods and a closer reading of the material, often using hermeneutic approaches and taking linguistic features of the text more into account than quantitative analysis. While quantitative analysis—particularly if conducted automatically—can comprise larger samples, qualitative analysis usually entails smaller samples, as it is more detailed. Different types of material—whether online content, campaign material, or climate change imagery—bring about different challenges when studied through content analysis that need to be considered when drawing samples of the material for content analysis. To evaluate the quality of a content analysis measures for reliability and validity are used. Key themes in content analyses of climate change communication are the media’s attention to climate change and the different points of view on global warming as an issue being present in the media coverage. Challenges for content analysis as a method for assessing climate change communication arise from the lack of comparability of the various studies that exist. Multimodal approaches are developed to better adhere to both textual and visual content simultaneously in content analyses of climate change communication.

Communicating Climate Change across Workplace and Organizational Settings

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graham Dixon ◽  
Yanni Ma
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
The Public ◽  
For Profit ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
Reduce Emissions

Addressing climate change requires attention to a variety of communication contexts. While attention has been paid to top-down approaches aimed at individual-level behavior and the beliefs of the public at large, organizations in both the for-profit and nonprofit sectors are increasingly recognized as integral players in solving the climate change challenges that we face today. For instance, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) characterize the commercial sector as having the highest potential to reduce emissions by 2020, suggesting that meaningful actions aimed at climate change mitigation must come from within organizations. However, the diverse nature of organizational communication poses challenges toward effective climate change communication. On the one hand, climate change communication can occur within organizations, where members’ individual behaviors and beliefs can have a significant impact on an organization’s energy consumption. On the other hand, organizations can communicate environmental issues directly to stakeholders and the public at large—though communication can be complicated by the fact that some organizations benefit from instilling doubt in the science of climate change. The complex nature of organizational-based climate change communication allows members of the for-profit and nonprofit sectors to play an important role in cultivating divergent views of climate change. Future research can help promulgate climate change-related awareness and action within organizational contexts.

Methods for Assessing Journalistic Decisions, Advocacy Strategies, and Climate Change Communication Practices

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Senja Post
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Longitudinal Research ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Communication Behaviors ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
The Future ◽  
Communication Practices ◽  
Advocacy Strategies ◽  
Diverse Groups

Research in the field of journalistic decisions, advocacy strategies, and communication practices is very heterogeneous, comprising diverse groups of actors and research questions. Not surprisingly, various methods have been applied to assess actors’ motives, strategies, intentions, and communication behaviors. This article provides an overview of the most common methods applied—i.e., qualitative and quantitative approaches to textual analyses, interviewing techniques, observational and experimental research. After discussing the major strengths and weaknesses of each method, an outlook on future research is given. One challenge of the future study of climate change communication will be to account for its dynamics, with various actors reacting to one another in their public communication. To better approximate such dynamics in the future, more longitudinal research will be needed.

Climate Change Communication in Austria

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Rhomberg
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Media Representations ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Communication Research ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Winter Tourism ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
Alpine Regions ◽  
Innovation And Technology

Research on climate change communication is a neglected field in Austria. Only slowly, scientists as well as policy makers are entering the domain of communicating climate change, especially in subprojects of larger funding initiatives by the Austrian Environment Ministry and the Ministry for Transport, Innovation and Technology. In the field of communication research, only sporadic studies can be found: Some of them are investigating science-policy-interfaces and communication among stakeholders; others are focusing on awareness of climate change, especially in climate sensitive areas like (winter) tourism, agriculture, and forestry, which are significant economic fields in Austria and in which major efforts have to be taken to enhance adaptive capacities. Only a few studies are dealing with media representations of climate. Therefore, this article outlines a future research program, based on the assessment of existing scholarship. More scientific efforts should be given to the following fields of research: public communication of stakeholders, studies on media representation of climate change and framing and its effects as well as comparative studies with countries sharing comparable climate scenarios, and the strong need for adapting to climate change (e.g., from Alpine regions) as well as similar political structures.

Analyzing Climate Change Communication Through Online Games

2017 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tania Ouariachi ◽  
María Dolores Olvera-Lobo ◽  
José Gutiérrez-Pérez
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Delphi Method ◽  
Qualitative Content Analysis ◽  
Online Games ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
Innovative Approaches

In search of innovative approaches capable of connecting climate change issues with teenagers, scholars and practitioners have become interested in harnessing the potential of gaming for advancing climate change communication. This article aims to propose a set of criteria, validated by experts through the Delphi method, by which to analyze communicative features of online climate change games. The use of the criteria is illustrated with an evaluation of a sample of Spanish games to which we apply qualitative content analysis, narratology, and ludology techniques. Our findings reveal some positive communicative trends in terms of narratives, contents, and gameplay.

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Public Opinion ◽  
Communication Strategies ◽  
Communication Research ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Multifaceted Approach ◽  
Media Portrayals ◽  
Origin And Evolution ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
Comprehensive Collection

Over 100 entriesThrough a comprehensive collection of articles, the Oxford Encyclopedia of Climate Change Communication explores the origin and evolution of our understanding of climate change as it is presented in communication and media. Taking a multifaceted approach, the encyclopedia offers a scholarly examination of the effects of climate change communication on public opinion and policy decisions; journalistic coverage and media portrayals of climate change; communication strategies and campaigns; and the implications of effective communication, including those of outreach and advocacy efforts. Additionally, the encyclopedia reviews climate change communication research methods and approaches. Global in breadth and deeply resourced, the work serves as an essential source of perspective on all aspects of this important area of scholarship.

Discourse Analysis in Climate Change Communication

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelya Koteyko ◽  
Dimitrinka Atanasova
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Discourse Analysis ◽  
Cultural Dimensions ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Climate Change Issue ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Related Information ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
Interdisciplinary Field ◽  
The Media

Discourse analysis is an interdisciplinary field of inquiry that has been increasingly used by climate change communication scholars since the late 1990s. In its broadest sense, discourse analysis is the study of the social through analysis of language, including face-to-face talk, written media texts, and documents, as well as images and symbols. Studies in this field encompass a broad range of theories and analytic approaches for investigating meaning. Due to its focus on the sociocultural and political context in which text and talk occur, discourse analysis is pertinent to the concerns of climate change communication scholars as it has the potential to reveal the ideological dimensions of stakeholder beliefs and the dissemination of climate change-related information in the media. In contrast to studies under the rubric of frame analysis and survey-based analyses of public perceptions, this research places emphasis on the situated study of different stakeholders involved in climate change communication. Here attention is paid not only to the content being communicated (e.g., themes) but also to the linguistic forms and contexts that shape language and interaction. Both of these require an understanding of audiences’ cultural, political, and socioeconomic conditions. From the participatory perspective, discourse analysis can therefore illuminate the moral, ethical, and cultural dimensions of the climate change issue.

scholarly journals Discussing climate change online. Topics and perceptions in online climate change communication in different online public arenas

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (02) ◽  
pp. A03 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ines Lörcher ◽  
Monika Taddicken
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Science Communication ◽  
Theoretical Concept ◽  
Climate Change Communication ◽  
Change Communication ◽  
Automated Content Analysis ◽  
Barriers To Communication ◽  
Reader Comments

How users discuss climate change online is one of the crucial questions (science) communication scholars address nowadays. This study contributes by approaching the issue through the theoretical concept of online public arenas. The diversity of topics and perceptions in the climate change discourse is explored by comparing different arenas. German journalistic articles and their reader comments as well as scientific expert blogs are analyzed by quantitative manual and automated content analysis (n=5,301). Findings demonstrate a larger diversity of topics and interpretations in arenas with low barriers to communication. Overall, climate change skepticism is rare, but mostly present in lay publics.

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