INFLUENCE OF THE MASS MEDIA ON THE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN JAPAN

Abstract

Abstract In this paper, we inquire into the role of news media in forming the public awareness of global environmental problems and in facilitating pro-environmental behavior of individuals, by analyzing survey data and newspaper articles in Japan. We find that public awareness of the global environment has been kept at high level since 1992. Exposure to the news media is found to have a positive correlation with the level of concern over environmental issues. Strong agenda-setting effects are not apparent in the short run, but become more significant with time, suggesting a cumulative and long-term cognitive impact of the news media. Meanwhile, the overall level of exposure to television shows a significant correlation with anti-environmental attitudes, suggesting a negative cultivation effect of television programs on public awareness of environmental issues in Japan.