Impact of Media Exposure on Eco-Anxiety and Climate-Related Actions Among Florida Residents

Last registered on January 17, 2025

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Impact of Media Exposure on Eco-Anxiety and Climate-Related Actions Among Florida Residents
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0015214
Initial registration date
January 16, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
January 17, 2025, 7:25 AM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Region

Primary Investigator

Affiliation
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA
PI Affiliation
UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2025-01-13
End date
2025-01-24
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study examines how media exposure to a hurricane-related event affects eco-anxiety levels and
influences climate-related actions among Florida residents.Specifically, the study examines the effect of
viewing a video about Hurricane Helene’s impact on North Carolina residents on eco-anxiety levels and
subsequent actions, compared to a control group that did not receive the video exposure.. Understanding
how media portrayals of climate events impact eco-anxiety and behaviors can inform strategies and
policies that foster constructive climate engagement and mental well-being
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
FANG, DI, JINYANG LI and WEIZHI WENG. 2025. "Impact of Media Exposure on Eco-Anxiety and Climate-Related Actions Among Florida Residents." AEA RCT Registry. January 17. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.15214-1.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The intervention consists of exposing participants in the treatment group to a video depicting the impact of Hurricane Helene on North Carolina residents. This video is sourced from YouTube and illustrates the consequences of severe hurricane events. The control group will not receive any video exposure or will be exposed to a neutral video unrelated to climate events.

The objective of the intervention is to measure its impact on eco-anxiety levels and subsequent climate-related actions among Florida residents. The treatment targets emotional responses to climate events, examining whether heightened eco-anxiety leads to increased preparedness actions or pro-environmental behaviors.
Intervention (Hidden)
This study investigates the psychological and behavioral impacts of media exposure to climate-related events on Florida residents. The intervention involves presenting participants in the treatment group with a video that vividly portrays the aftermath and consequences of Hurricane Helene on North Carolina residents. This video was carefully selected to elicit emotional engagement and provide a realistic depiction of climate-related risks.

The intervention is structured as follows:

1. Participant Recruitment:
- Participants were recruited via Dynata, ensuring a representative sample of adult Florida residents (18 years and older).
- A sample size of approximately 300-400 participants was targeted.

2. Random Assignment:
- Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups:
- Treatment Group: Exposed to the Hurricane Helene impact video.
- Control Group: Received no video or a neutral video unrelated to climate events.

3. Video Presentation:
- The video was streamed within the survey interface, with instructions to ensure participants viewed the entire clip before proceeding to survey questions.

4. Outcome Measurements:
- Post-intervention, all participants completed a structured survey capturing:
- Eco-Anxiety: Measured using an adapted scale from Hickman et al. (2021), focusing on emotional responses and functional impacts.
- Climate-Related Actions: Categorized into short-term preparedness (e.g., emergency planning) and long-term considerations (e.g., relocation decisions).
- Trust in Government: Assessed trust in Florida's governmental climate action, based on adapted measures.
- Tolerance of Uncertainty: Measured using the Uncertainty Scale—Short Form (IUS-12).

5.Mediation Analysis:
- The study explores how eco-anxiety, trust in government, and tolerance of uncertainty mediate the relationship between media exposure and climate-related actions.

6. Subgroup Analysis:
- Variations in intervention effects across demographic subgroups (e.g., income, education level, and prior climate experiences) were analyzed to identify populations most sensitive to media exposure.

7. Data Confidentiality:
- All data were anonymized and securely stored, ensuring participant privacy.

The intervention was designed to test the hypothesis that exposure to climate-related media heightens eco-anxiety, which may influence pro-environmental behaviors and preparedness actions. By analyzing the pathways and moderating factors, the study aims to inform communication strategies that effectively address public engagement with climate change.
Intervention Start Date
2025-01-13
Intervention End Date
2025-01-24

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Mediation Hypothesis 1 (MH1): Eco-Anxiety as a Mediator
Hypothesis:The information shock caused by media exposure to a hurricane increases engagement in
climate-related actions both directly and indirectly by heightening eco-anxiety, which further motivates
pro-environmental behaviors.
Mediation Hypothesis 2 (MH2): Trust in Government as a Mediator
The information shock caused by media exposure to a hurricane decreases engagement in climate
related actions both directly and indirectly by reducing trust in government, which discourages pro
environmental behaviors.
Mediation Hypothesis 3 (MH3): Tolerance of Uncertainty as a Mediator
The information shock caused by media exposure to a hurricane increases engagement in climate
related actions both directly and indirectly by enhancing tolerance of uncertainty, which further motivates
pro-environmental behaviors
Primary Outcomes (explanation)
1. Eco-Anxiety:
- Definition: Anxiety and emotional distress related to climate change.
- Measurement: Adapted scale from Hickman et al. (2021), capturing worry, emotional distress, and functional impacts.

2.Climate-Related Actions:
- Short-Term Actions:
- Immediate preparedness behaviors (e.g., risk assessments, emergency planning).
- Long-Term Actions:
- Behavioral shifts such as considering relocation or adopting sustainable practices.
- Measurement: Self-reported actions categorized by timeframe (short-term vs. long-term).

3. Trust in Government:
- Definition: Confidence in the government’s ability to manage climate-related issues effectively.
- Measurement: Adapted trust scale evaluating perceived transparency, competence, and responsiveness.

4. Tolerance of Uncertainty:
-Definition: Ability to manage ambiguity and unpredictability about climate risks.
- Measurement: Uncertainty Scale—Short Form (IUS-12), assessing agreement with uncertainty-related statements.

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This experiment employs a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to examine the effects of media exposure to a hurricane-related event on eco-anxiety and climate-related actions among Florida residents.

Participants:

Adult residents of Florida (aged 18 and older) recruited via Dynata, a reputable survey platform.
Approximately 800 participants will be randomly assigned to treatment and control groups (400 in each group).
Randomization:

Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups:
Treatment Group: Exposed to a video illustrating the impacts of Hurricane Helene on North Carolina residents.
Control Group: No video exposure or exposure to a neutral video unrelated to climate events.
Intervention:

The intervention involves showing the treatment group a short video sourced from YouTube, designed to evoke emotional responses to the consequences of climate-related events.
The control group does not receive a similar climate-related stimulus.
Outcome Measures:

Primary outcomes include eco-anxiety, trust in government, tolerance of uncertainty, and climate-related actions (short-term and long-term).
All outcomes are measured via structured survey responses.
Timeline:

The data collection phase will last approximately two weeks, during which participants will complete the online survey and intervention tasks.
Ethical Considerations:

Participant anonymity is maintained through secure data collection and storage processes.
The study complies with ethical guidelines, including informed consent and voluntary participation.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
Randomization will be conducted using a computer-based random number generator. Participants will be randomly assigned to either the treatment group (video exposure) or the control group (no video or neutral video exposure) upon initiating the survey. This process ensures that each participant has an equal probability of being allocated to either group, maintaining the integrity of the randomization.
Randomization Unit
The unit of randomization for this study is the individual participant. Each participant is independently assigned to either the treatment group (video exposure) or the control group (no video or neutral video exposure) at the individual level. There is no group- or cluster-level randomization in this design.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
Since randomization is conducted at the individual level and there is no clustering in the randomization process, the planned number of clusters is 1 (the entire sample of participants is treated as a single cluster for analysis purposes).
Sample size: planned number of observations
400 individuals over 18 years old in Florida
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
200 individuals in control group and 200 individuals in treatment group
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Florida
IRB Approval Date
2024-11-14
IRB Approval Number
IRB202401670
Analysis Plan

Analysis Plan Documents

Impact of Media Exposure on Eco-Anxiety and Climate-Related Actions Among Florida Residents

MD5: b840c45f25d843e876530c52f7356361

SHA1: 1a43d95455320c23bb35aaccd0f7200a6590a032

Uploaded At: January 16, 2025

Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials