The Role of Social Media Coverage of Climate Change Crisis on Risk Perception among Egyptian Users

نوع المستند : المقالة الأصلية

المؤلفون

1 PhD Researcher at the Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University.

2 Professor of Mass Communication and Head of the Radio and TV Department, Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University.

3 Lecturer in the Radio and Television Department, Faculty of Mass Communication, Cairo University.

10.21608/ejsrt.2025.450252

المستخلص

This study investigates the role of social media in shaping climate change risk perception at both personal and societal levels. Drawing on the Impersonal Impact Hypothesis  and the Climate Change Risk Perception Model (CCRPM), the study examines how exposure to climate change content on social media influences risk perception, with cognitive, affective, and experiential factors as mediators. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 411 social media users in Egypt who had been exposed to climate change content online. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the proposed pathways. Results showed that while exposure to climate change content had no significant direct effect on either personal or societal risk perception, significant indirect effects were observed through affective and experiential mediators in personal risk perception and affective, experiential and cognitive mediators in societal risk perception. These findings underscore the importance of emotional, experiential and cognitive engagement in shaping risk perception.
Additionally, the study revealed age as a significant predictor of risk perception, with younger users reporting higher levels of concern. The findings highlight the complex mechanisms through which social media shapes climate change risk perception and offer insights for designing more effective climate communication strategies.
 
 
 
 
 

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