Doctoral Dissertation Research in DRMS: Mass Media Effects on Elite Legislators: A Social Psychology Case Study of Climate Change in Peru

本研究旨在更好地了解媒体所提供的信息在精英立法者政策行为中的作用。这项研究在秘鲁进行，重点是气候变化问题，这是当前受到政策制定者、公众和媒体相当关注的一个政策问题。研究表明，媒体是公众和政策制定者获取气候变化信息的主要来源之一；因此，考虑到问题的复杂性，所提供的信息需要特别注意。推动这项研究的主要研究问题是：大众媒体以什么方式影响秘鲁立法者关于气候变化的知识、环境态度、信仰、价值观和行为？由于研究这一目标人群的方法限制，这一领域以前的几项研究提供了关于媒体在政策决策中的作用的非确凿且往往相互矛盾的证据。这个项目使用了对立法者的调查和深入采访，对报纸的媒体内容分析，以及对投票行为和政策文件等次要来源的分析。理论框架从社会心理学的角度出发，重点研究了信息寻求行为与环境主义水平之间的关系。这项研究将有助于越来越多的文献关注大众媒体对政策制定的直接影响，并将为改善与政策决策相关的环境新闻报道和传播过程提供建议。

This research seeks to provide a better understanding of the role of the information presented in the media in the policy behaviors of elite legislators. This research, conducted in Peru, focuses on the case of climate change, a current policy issue that is receiving considerable attention from policy makers, the public, and the media. Studies show that the media is one of the main sources of information about climate change within the public and policy makers; therefore - considering the complexity of the issue - the information presented requires special attention. The main research question driving the research is: In what ways and to what effect, do the mass media influence the knowledge, environmental attitudes, beliefs, values, and behaviors of legislators in Peru with regard to climate change? The few previous studies in this area have provided inconclusive and often contradictory evidence about the role of the media in policy decision making due to the methodological constraints of studying this target population. This project uses a survey and in-depth interviews with legislators, a media content analysis of newspapers, and an analysis of secondary sources such as voting behaviors and policy documents. The theoretical framework, from social psychology, focuses on the relationship between information seeking behaviors and levels of environmentalism. The research will contribute to the growing literature focusing on direct mass media effects on policy making, and will provide recommendations to improve environmental news coverage and communication processes related to policy decision making.