Messages Targeted to Global Warming’s Six Americas Can Increase Their Issue Engagement

Abstract A message-testing experiment assessed the effectiveness of targeted video messages in changing six audience segments’ climate change understanding and concern. Participants viewed one of four short videos addressing their segment’s informational needs, as identified by survey data on their segment’s climate change beliefs. Segments that are skeptical about climate change were targeted with videos on the scientific consensus and climate science. Segments that are unconcerned about climate change were targeted with a video on climate change impacts, and segments that are concerned were targeted with a video about climate solutions. Comparisons to controls, who did not view a video, revealed changes in issue understanding in response to the videos, and viewers of a message targeted to their segment’s informational needs were five percentage points more likely to move to a more engaged audience segment than viewers of untargeted messages. Implications for communicating with each of the six segments are discussed.