Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 4, 2025

Using Generative Art to Convey Past and Future Climate Transitions
Published on: March 31, 2023
International media coverage promotes donations to a climate disaster
Cassandra M Chapman1, Matthew J Hornsey2, Kelly S Fielding3
1Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.
Abstract:
The Australian bushfires in 2019-20 triggered massive amounts of charitable giving from the community. This study applied agenda-setting theory to examine if and how disaster news coverage influenced public donations in response to the crisis. A survey of 949 Australians found that people perceived news coverage of the event to be a strong influence on the amount they donated to bushfire appeals, over and above past giving levels. Furthermore, media coverage was more influential in participants' charity selection than both peer influence and direct communications from the charities. Next, a textual analysis of international news coverage of the event (N = 30,239 unique articles) was conducted. Compared to a control corpus of text, news coverage of the disaster used words related to 'money' and 'support' at disproportionately high frequencies. Together, the studies suggest that the media plays an agenda-setting role in determining how and to what extent people give to disaster appeals.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Global Climate Change
What is Climate?
Responses to Drought and Flooding
Applications of GIS: Disaster Management and Emergency Response
Threats to Biodiversity
Fundamental Attribution Error

