The news about climate change is often depressing. So can news about what's working to address climate change make a difference? In this study, @Tong_L132 and I show it can. #envcomm #solutionsjournalism 
Solutions journalism (@soljourno) - or reporting on credible responses to social problems - has been shown to increase audience feelings of efficacy. Here we show that perception helps drive support for collective action to adapt to climate change.
Not surprisingly, increased hope and eco-anxiety also increased support for collective climate action. But the solutions story we showed participants did not spark those emotions as we expected.
We have some ideas why, but understanding how switching the news frame from problem-oriented to solutions-oriented impacts discrete emotions (rather than overall affect) will take more research.
And surprisingly, both solutions and problem stories tended to arouse high-arousal, negative-valence emotions. Readers of problem stories were next most likely to list high-arousal and positive valence emotions.
Readers of solutions stories were next most likely to list low-arousal and negative-valence emotions.
If you'd like to read the study and can't access it, let me know - I have 50 free copies to share!
And here is the direct link: doi.org//10.1080/17524…
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