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

本研究旨在提供一个更好的理解的作用，在媒体上提供的信息在精英立法者的政策行为。这项研究是在秘鲁进行的，重点是气候变化的情况，这是一个受到决策者、公众和媒体相当关注的当前政策问题。研究表明，媒体是公众和决策者了解气候变化信息的主要来源之一;因此，考虑到问题的复杂性，需要特别注意所提供的信息。推动这项研究的主要研究问题是：大众媒体以何种方式影响秘鲁立法者在气候变化方面的知识、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上的限制，这一领域以前的几项研究就媒体在政策决策中的作用提供了不确定的、往往相互矛盾的证据。本研究采用了调查和深入访谈立法者、分析报纸的媒体内容以及分析投票行为和政策文件等第二来源的方法。本文的理论框架来自社会心理学，主要研究信息寻求行为与环境意识水平之间的关系。这项研究将有助于不断增加的文献，重点是大众媒体对政策制定的直接影响，并将提供建议，以改善环境新闻报道和沟通过程有关的政策决策。

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.