Climate Information Exposure on Social Media and Climate-Related Political Participation: The Mediating Roles of Environmental Discussion and Risk Perception

Abstract

Social media has emerged as a key platform for governments, organizations, scientific institutions, and individuals to disseminate information about climate change. Nowadays it is common for people to come across climate change information on social media. Prior research suggests that exposure to information on social media can enhance knowledge acquisition and political participation. However, these effects have not been tested in the context of climate change information distribution on social media. Guided by the orientation-stimulus-reasoning-orientation-response (O-S-R-O-R) model, this study conducted a national survey and found that exposure to climate change information on social media was positively associated with climate-related political participation through positive associations with environmental discussion and climate change risk perception. These findings contribute to the theoretical understanding of social media’s role in promoting climate-related political participation. Additionally, the study provides practical insights into ways to increase climate change-related risk perception and participation behaviors.