Abstract

This study explored the influence of media type on arousal and valence ratings when viewing content about climate change using a 2 (Media type) x 2 (Slant) x 3 (Repeated Measures) mixed factorial design within-subjects study. Findings showed that Democrats prefer memes over stories when the content is from a liberal source while viewing memes less positively and more arousing than stories when coming from a conservative source. However, Democrats were more aroused by liberal stories than liberal memes, even though they reacted positively more to liberal memes. Republicans were generally more negative and aroused toward liberal media content. Findings implicate important suggestions for how persuasive or political actors might communicate about important environmental issues such as climate change.