Infotainment May Increase Engagement with Science but It Can Decrease Perceptions of Seriousness
Abstract
:1. Introduction
1.1. Perceptions
1.2. Infotainment
1.3. Defining Infotainment
1.3.1. Storytelling
1.3.2. Personalization
1.3.3. Humor
1.4. Cultural Influences
1.5. Research Aims and Questions
- Research Question 1 (RQ1): Can an infotainment style of narration differentially affect a viewer’s perception of climate change as a serious issue for the planet compared to an expository style of narration?
- Research Question 2 (RQ2): Can an infotainment style of narration differentially affect a viewer’s perception of climate change as a serious issue for his/her own life compared to an expository style of narration?
- Research Question 3 (RQ3): Can cultural influences associated with the language used for a narration and a viewer’s country of residence affect perceptions of climate change as a serious issue either for the planet or themselves?
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Online Videos and Narrations
2.2. Constructing the Infotainment Version
2.3. Narrations and Information
2.4. Survey
2.5. Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Characteristics of Clusters
3.2. The Impact of Narrations on Participants in Different Clusters
3.3. Cultural Influences: Spanish versus English Speakers
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
6. Limitations
Author Contributions
Funding
Institutional Review Board Statement
Informed Consent Statement
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
References
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Sequence | Expository Narration | Infotainment Narration |
---|---|---|
ANTARCTICA, SCIENTISTS | There exists a strong consensus within the scientific community that the Earth is warming, and that this is mainly as a consequence of human activities that pollute the atmosphere with tons of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Here, in west Antarctica, research has shown that the ice is melting faster and faster and the amount of ice cover is shrinking. | I’m Jeremy Johnson, I’m a climate scientist and, ironically, I’m freezing my arse off just to prove to you, along with my fellow scientists, that the Earth is getting warmer as a consequence of all the crap like CO2 and other greenhouse gases we are spewing into the air. Here in west Antarctica, my research indicates the ice is disappearing faster than money in a Greek bank. |
ANIMATION OF PLANET EARTH | But this is happening all over the planet. As the concentration of greenhouse gases has increased, temperatures have risen and the quality of life is diminishing for many of us. | In fact, be it Athens or Zurich or anywhere else, it’s the same story: greenhouse gases driven into the atmosphere mean that life on Earth is getting less like Heaven and more like Hell. |
OCEAN | Measurements scientists have taken of sea surface temperatures show with a high degree of probability that the oceans are getting warmer. | I’ve endured seasickness sampling the seas from Antarctica to the Arctic: and all over the planet, the oceans are getting warmer. |
ICE MELTING | Scientists working at a lake in the Arctic have made a significant discovery: sediment cores taken by the scientists from the lake floor suggest a pattern whereby the loss of Antarctic ice has in the past accelerated the disappearance of the entire Greenland ice sheet. | In the Arctic, sediments taken from the bottom of a frozen lake I walk on with care, suggest a worrying link with my Antarctic work: the loss of ice in Antarctica could trigger the loss of the entire Greenland ice sheet. The whole freaking lot. Zippo. Zilch. Nada. Nothing left. |
LONDON, NEW YORK | If that were to happen again, it would raise the sea levels around the globe by 7.2 meters. | Say goodbye to most of London and New York: sea levels would rise by over 7 meters. |
ELEPHANT, KILAMANJARO GLACIER | Around the world, measurements have shown that glaciers continue to shrink. | From Africa to Argentina glaciers are retreating at a speed that only an Iraqi soldier could admire. |
FLOODING, FIRE | Extreme weather events, like heat waves, floods and snow storms are now more frequent. | Global warming doesn’t just bring hot weather; it can also bring storms and floods at the other extreme. |
PENGUINS, MUSK OX | Climate change is affecting all forms life of on Earth, provoking changes in animal behavior and a loss of biodiversity. | Animals like Musk Ox and Penguins must adapt to life with less snow—or go extinct and add to climate change’s toll on biodiversity. |
HUMANS, DESERT | Humans beings are also affected. Climate change has a negative impact on water resources and freshwater ecosystems all over the world. In the near future, it will increase the spread of infectious diseases, like malaria. | We are also affected. Global warming is hitting us where it hurts: in our waterworks. And if dying of thirst or hunger or from contaminated water weren’t bad enough, it increases our risk of dying from diseases like malaria. |
REFUGEES | Weather related disasters and desertification are already causing displacement of people. Scientists estimate that 150 million environmental migrants will exist by the year 2050, due mainly to flooding and agricultural disruption. | Little wonder that so many of us just want to get the hell out of where we live: by 2050, I estimate 150 million of us will be environmental migrants as we set out to escape floods and famine. |
ANTARCTICA, CLIMATE CHANGE ROAD SIGN | In Antarctica and elsewhere, the research into climate change continues. According to experts, a substantial reduction in human production of greenhouse gas emissions is what is required to reduce climate risks in the 21st century and beyond. | I continue to study climate change in Antarctica in weather that would freeze the balls off a brass monkey. But the inconvenient truth is that the world really is getting warmer and the culprit really is us. We must reduce our greenhouse gas emissions…or else… |
Pre-test Questions (5-point Likert Scale from “Not important” to “Very important”) How important do you consider the following scientific issues to be: 1. Developing new techniques for human cloning? 2. Reducing CO2 emissions into the atmosphere? 3. Finding a vaccine against malaria? |
Post-test Questions (5-point Likert Scale from “Not at all” to “Extremely”) 1. Does the video leave you feeling that climate change is a serious issue for the planet? 2. Does the video make you feel that climate change has an impact on your own life? |
Variables | Levels | Cluster 1 (%) | Cluster 2 (%) |
---|---|---|---|
Age χ2 = 300.35 p < 0.001 | 18~29 years | 0 (0%) | 207 (69.9%) * |
30~49 years | 205 (59.1%) * | 65 (22.0%) | |
>50 years | 142 (40.9%) | 24 (8.1%) | |
Gender χ2 = 26.60 p < 0.001 | Male | 174 (50.1%) * | 89 (30.1%) |
Female | 173 (49.9%) | 207 (69.9%) * | |
Education χ2 = 153.62 p = 0.001 | With university degrees | 347 (100%) * | 109 (36.8%) |
Without university degrees | 0 (0%) | 187 (63.2%) * | |
Habits of watching online videos χ2 = 50.90 p < 0.001 | <15 min | 90 (25.9%) | 36 (12.2%) |
15 min–1 h | 141 (40.6%) * | 72 (24.3%) | |
1 h–2 h | 53 (15.3%) | 86 (29.0%) | |
>2 h | 63 (18.2%) | 102 (34.5%) * | |
Attitudes to science χ2 = 90.55 p < 0.001 | Negative | 0 (0%) | 10 (3.4%) |
Neutral | 9 (2.6%) | 77 (26.0%) | |
Positive | 338 (97.4%) * | 209 (70.6%) * |
Cluster | Question | Narration | N | Mean | Std. Deviation |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cluster 1 | RQ1 | Infotainment | 160 | 4.01 | 0.789 |
RQ1 | Expository | 183 | 4.01 | 0.839 | |
RQ2 | Infotainment | 160 | 3.66 | 0.898 | |
RQ2 | Expository | 184 | 3.52 | 0.929 | |
Cluster 2 | RQ1 | Infotainment | 137 | 3.91 * | 0.927 |
RQ1 | Expository | 159 | 4.23 * | 0.826 | |
RQ2 | Infotainment | 137 | 3.60 | 1.088 | |
RQ2 | Expository | 158 | 3.59 | 1.041 |
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Davis, L.S.; León, B.; Bourk, M.J.; Zhu, L.; Finkler, W. Infotainment May Increase Engagement with Science but It Can Decrease Perceptions of Seriousness. Sustainability 2022, 14, 10659. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710659
Davis LS, León B, Bourk MJ, Zhu L, Finkler W. Infotainment May Increase Engagement with Science but It Can Decrease Perceptions of Seriousness. Sustainability. 2022; 14(17):10659. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710659
Chicago/Turabian StyleDavis, Lloyd S., Bienvenido León, Michael J. Bourk, Lei Zhu, and Wiebke Finkler. 2022. "Infotainment May Increase Engagement with Science but It Can Decrease Perceptions of Seriousness" Sustainability 14, no. 17: 10659. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141710659