Communicating the benefits of sustainable behavior: can media foster participation in climate protection?

Tackling sustainability and climate change issues requires change at every societal level. Reflecting on public discussions about sustainability and climate change in Germany over the past 2 decades, the individual level for taking action has scarcely been considered within this context. Besides political efforts to achieve technological and entrepreneurial modifications towards sustainable production, education of the population is also necessary to attain sustainable consumption. Beyond educating instances (e.g. school, family or friends), media are particularly discussed as a socializing instance for shaping individual values and orientations towards sustainability. But can they furthermore promote incentives and motivations to act sustainably? It is therefore necessary to investigate media communication patterns that either facilitate or hinder opportunities for individual participation in sustainable developments. The presented poster therefore stresses the question, how media coverage on sustainability issues can impact young people’s actions regarding sustainable behavior. Empirical results of my dissertation will thereby be highlighted.