Melting icecaps, mass flooding, megadroughts and erratic weather are no laughing matter. However, a new study shows that humor can be an effective means to inspire young people to pursue climate change activism. At the same time, fear proves to be an equally effective motivator and has the added advantage of increasing people’s awareness of climate change’s risks.
Melting icecaps, mass flooding, megadroughts and erratic weather are no laughing matter. However, a new study shows that humor can be an effective means to inspire young people to pursue climate change activism. At the same time, fear proves to be an equally effective motivator and has the added advantage of increasing people’s awareness of climate change’s risks.
“Young people have a huge stake in global climate change. They are going to bear the brunt of it, more so than old guys like me,” said Jeff Niederdeppe, associate professor of communication in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, who oversaw the study. “Young people buy green products, they believe in climate change, they’re worried about it, but they’re not as politically active on the issue as older generations are. And if you look at where millennials get news information, it’s from John Oliver and Trevor Noah, these satirical news programs. We wanted to test if this humorous approach could be used to engage young people in climate change activism.”
The study, “Pathways of Influence in Emotional Appeals: Benefits and Tradeoffs of Using Fear or Humor to Promote Climate Change-Related Intentions and Risk Perceptions,” to be published in the February edition of the Journal of Communication, was the result of a partnership grant between Cornell’s Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future, where Niederdeppe is a faculty fellow, and the Environmental Defense Fund.
Niederdeppe readily admits that academics don’t make the best comedians. So the researchers partnered with Second City Works, a marketing offshoot of the legendary improvisational theater troupe in Chicago that launched the careers of Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler and other Saturday Night Live alums.
Read more at Cornell University
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