There is water everywhere: How news framing amplifies the effect of ecological worldviews on preference for flooding protection policy

Timothy K.F. Fung, Dominique Brossard, Isabella Ng

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the interactive effect of worldviews and media frames on policy preference. Using flooding as a case study, we examine the interplay of ecological worldviews and news framed as either emphasizing harmony with nature or mastery over nature on individuals' preference for flood protection policy. A total of 255 undergraduate students participated in a 2 (ecological worldviews: balance-with-nature vs. human-domination-over-nature) × 2 (media frames: harmony frame vs. mastery frame) between-subjects experiment. The findings indicate that both the balance-with-nature worldview and the human-domination-over-nature worldview have significant impacts on preference for flood protection policy. Furthermore, the harmony frame amplified the effect of the balance-with-nature worldview in supporting a natural approach to flood protection. In contrast, the mastery frame amplified the effect of the human-domination-over-nature worldview on the preference for a structural approach to flood protection. Implications are discussed.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)553-577
Number of pages25
JournalMass Communication and Society
Volume14
Issue number5
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2011

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