Recent research shows how broadcasters can improve climate coverage by tackling misinformation, highlighting solutions, and inspiring collective action.

August 2024

Broadcasters can more effectively inform the public and inspire audiences to take action on climate change by tackling misinformation, holding powerful institutions and governments to account, covering climate solutions and fostering a sense of collective pride and normality around pro-climate choices, according to recent findings.

These insights came from a series of studies conducted over the last 18 months.

A study, commissioned in June 2023 in the run-up to COP28 by the BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5, ITV, Sky and UKTV, examined what kind of climate and nature reporting is best received by audiences of public service broadcasters. It was conducted by IPSOS and the Centre for Climate and Social Transformation (CAST).

This work comes on the back of UK audience research conducted by both the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the BBC, which shows that while the majority are concerned about climate change and want more coverage, many can feel confused, sceptical or overwhelmed by what they see and hear about the climate and nature crisis on public service broadcast channels. Sometimes so much so that they actively avoid it.

The latest study from Norwegian public service broadcaster NRK, delivered in a guest lecture in June 2024 at the Oxford Climate Journalism Network, built on this evidence and describes their solution. It charts NRK’s own four-year journey to develop climate journalism which significantly dialled up public engagement in the topic, challenging some industry perceptions that viewers aren’t interested in climate change journalism.

Following a survey of audiences and journalists, NRK’s strategy advocated putting more resources into climate reporting, looking at climate coverage as firmly inside the mandate of a public broadcaster to educate the public and hold the government to account. Other measures included investing in fewer, more meaningful climate stories and rotating climate journalists around the newsroom.

This initiative mirrors similar innovations in France, where last year the state broadcaster introduced a ‘climate informed’ weather report as part of the daily 8.00pm news bulletin. The award-winning initiative provides climate graphics that change in real time and a QR code that allows viewers to send in questions, which are answered by climate scientists. According to the channel, ratings for the programme rose within weeks.

Key Insights on Climate News, Audiences, and Reporting

The following sections bring together key findings from recent research into audience attitudes, news consumption, and approaches to climate coverage in the UK and internationally. They provide context on how climate news is received, understood, and delivered, and highlight common themes across multiple studies.

COP28 Pan-UK Broadcaster Research, June 2023

Areas identified as improving public understanding, motivation, and hope include providing high-quality information and tackling misinformation, holding powerful institutions to account by scrutinising their actions and commitments, and helping citizens understand how these decisions affect them.

Coverage should also examine how the onus on individuals and households to make changes intersects with structural barriers such as cost and infrastructure, while showing how citizens, governments, and businesses can act together and highlighting where collective action is already underway.

Fostering a sense of collective pride and normality around positive choices is important, with broadcast media playing a key role in shaping social norms by demonstrating what others are doing and the wider health, social, and community benefits of joining in.

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, UK Findings, 2022–2023

Television was the most important medium for climate news in the UK, cited by 33% of audiences alongside online news platforms. Public service broadcasters were the most trusted sources, with 38% of respondents saying they trust them most on this issue.

UK audiences showed strong interest in climate news, which ranked joint second with political news at 75%, only surpassed by interest in local news. Concern about misinformation was widespread, with 77% of audiences worried that climate coverage could be false or misleading.

Television and online news were most often perceived as carrying misinformation, with 10% of respondents associating these platforms with misleading content, particularly when politicians’ commentary was aired.

At the same time, 22% of people actively avoided climate news due to feelings of anxiety, exhaustion, or being worn out. This proportion mirrors levels of news avoidance more broadly.

Understanding of climate policies and international agreements remained limited. Only 40% of respondents say they know at least a moderate amount about their own government’s climate policies or international climate agreements, including among regular climate news users.

Those who consumed more climate news were more concerned about climate impacts and more sceptical that governments and energy companies were doing enough.

Across all audiences, there was a strong appetite for solutions-focused reporting, and 66% believed that news media influenced public attitudes and government and industry action.

BBC Audience Insights, Climate Creatives Conference, 2023

Although the cost of living was the biggest concern, 84% of people were concerned about climate change, felt that more should be done, and believed drastic action was needed to avoid the worst effects (61%).

Most (54%) felt they had only a surface-level understanding of environmental issues, and there was confusion on key facts. The public underestimated the level of scientific consensus on climate change (65% v 99.9%) and climate terminology, with one third not understanding what “Net Zero” meant.

Many did not know which actions were most impactful. For example, 49% thought recycling was the most effective personal action, even though it was ranked 60th. Few were aware of the role of animal agriculture in global emissions or the impact of shifting to a more plant-based diet.

Although the public wanted to know more about what they could do individually, they saw tackling climate change as a “whole country” task. They felt that business, government, and global corporations should do more, including the media, with 69% believing the UK media should play a greater role.

People tended to avoid a sense of loss and were more likely to be inspired to change habits when shown how it could improve their life, such as better health, more jobs, cleaner air, saving money, or protecting the future for children.

NRK Recommendations, June 2024

This survey of journalists and audiences explored perceptions of climate coverage.

To strengthen reporting, its findings recommended that newsrooms focus on producing fewer, higher-impact stories supported by strong visuals, and prioritise relatable coverage that clearly explains what is at stake and what society needs to do. All desks should be involved in a newsroom-wide process to consider how climate news can be communicated effectively while avoiding the perception of “activist” reporting.

It also suggested rotating climate reporters across desks, applying a “climate lens” to other teams’ reporting, and tackling misinformation are additional strategies to improve coverage and build audience trust.

Sources

 Ipsos, Pan UK Broadcaster Climate Research, released June 2023

 Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Climate change and news audiences report 2024: analysis of news use and attitudes in eight countries, released January 2025

BBC Academy / BBC, Climate Creatives Audience Insight 2023 (v2), released 2023

Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, Giving audiences what they want: a look at Norway’s public broadcaster’s climate change coverage strategy, released June 2023