Climate Change Facebook Quiz Wins Innovation Award
A Facebook quiz that encourages Americans to find out how they feel about global warming has won the Environmental Journalism Innovation of the Year Award from the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.
The application, designed by KQED Public Broadcasting in San Francisco, is based on research conducted by George Mason and Yale universities. The application asks 17 questions in order to determine which segment of the population the participant falls into. The results are shown in a chart graph and compared to the national study’s results.
Ed Maibach, director of the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, published the study, “Global Warming’s Six Americas” with researchers at Yale University to determine the different attitudes Americans have about global warming. The report divides the American public into six unique segments that engage with the issue of global warming in their own distinct way: Alarmed, Concerned, Cautious, Disengaged, Doubtful and Dismissive.
The Facebook application was recognized because it utilizes academic research and social media to advance the national discussion of climate change.
“A key component of the success of this effort was the willingness of the researchers at George Mason University to condense their survey to 17 questions,” says David Poulson, associate director of the Knight Center for Environmental Journalism. “Anything longer and it never would have engaged the public.”