Audience segmentation as a tool for communicating climate change: Understanding the differences and bridging the divides
Akerloff K, Bruff G, Witte J. 2011. Audience segmentation as a tool for communicating climate change: Understanding the differences and bridging the divides. Park Science. 28(1):56–64
Communicating climate change to 300 million national park visitors each year represents both an enormous challenge and an opportunity for the National Park Service. Informal and formal audience assessment techniques allow communicators to develop strategies and messages that are tailored to certain subsets of the population, or crafted to resonate with all groups, thereby increasing the probability of influencing individuals’ attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors. This article reviews audience segmentation research developed by the Yale Project on Climate Change Communication and the Center for Climate Change Communication, and applies it within the context of the National Park Service’s designation of communication as one of its four management areas in the Climate Change Response Strategy. A case study on communicating climate change at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore illustrates some of the ways that one park is already using social science research–based strategies to increase the effectiveness of its outreach programs.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Akerloff, Karen; Bruff, Gregg; Witte, Joe
- Units
- NRSS
- Keywords
- audience segmentation, Climate Change, Communication, Global Warming, Public Opinion, Surveys