Extreme Weather Experiences, Emotional Reactions to Messages, and Support for Pro-Climate Policies

Climate communication can be pivotal in shaping public attitudes and behaviors toward energy policies. One potential pathway for effective climate communication is leveraging the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, which many personally experience. Emotions elicited by climate messaging also appear to influence public attitudes, yet studies exploring the impacts of such emotional responses remain scarce. Through a secondary analysis of data from Pew’s American Trends Panel (W89, April 2021), we found that personal experiences with extreme weather may enhance the receptiveness to climate messages by moderating political conservatives’ emotional responses to such communication. These moderated responses appear to influence participants’ attitudes toward energy policies, subtly shifting preferences toward pro-climate positions. This study highlights the intricate interplay between personal experiences, emotional reactions to media, and political ideology, offering actionable insights into how strategic climate communication can foster broader public engagement and support for sustainable energy policies.