Exploratory study on causal framing of environmental news in Hong Kong

This study explored the framing effect of mass media on the perceived causes and responsibilities of air pollution and solid waste disposal problems in Hong Kong. Content analysis of causal attribution in the print news was matched with public agenda on causal perception obtained from a telephone survey of 745 respondents. Results of the correlation analysis failed to support a linear relationship between the ranking of perceived causes and responsibilities of both problems reported in the press and that held by the public. This was probably due to the infrequent coverage and weak framing of the issues in the print news. Respondents who perceived the selected problems as obtrusive issues had similar causal perception with those who did not. Use of mass media for environmental news was positively related to the number of causes and treatments mentioned. Reading and viewing of environmental news may deepen respondents’ cognitive dimension and enhance their ability to explain societal phenomena.