Climate Change News Audiences: Analysis of News Use and Attitudes in Eight Countries

Abstract

This report offers a comprehensive analysis of climate change news consumption and associated public attitudes in eight diverse countries: Brazil, France, Germany, India, Japan, Pakistan, the UK, and the USA. In addition to building on our last year’s findings, we also introduce fresh insights into new relevant topics, such as climate justice, health and climate change, and public opinion towards solutions journalism. Our research reveals that, compared to last year, there is a slight increase in climate change news consumption in most countries, coupled with stable trust in climate information from news media, while concerns about climate change misinformation persist. Notably, significant differences in public perceptions of climate change-induced impacts on human health emerge between the Global North and South countries. Regarding climate justice, just over half of respondents acknowledge the disproportionate effect of climate change on poorer people and countries, with considerable partisan disagreements. We conclude by discussing our findings and offering some policy inputs related to climate change journalism in the context of the ongoing discourse.