The Roles of Media Platforms, Political Orientation and Climate Change Belief in Pro-Environmental Behaviors: Cross-Cutting Versus Like-Minded Exposure in the United States and South Korea

Climate change’s dire effects call for fostering a belief in it through accurate information. This research investigates how YouTube, enabling selective and like-minded information exposure, influences climate change beliefs based on political orientations. Additionally, this study aimed to ascertain whether YouTube significantly facilitated like-minded climate change information exposure and impacted climate change beliefs among individuals leaning toward specific political orientations by comparing it with broadcast news use. We also examined the politicization effect by contrasting the United States and South Korea. Findings revealed that U.S. conservatives consuming broadcasted information exhibited stronger climate change beliefs, linking to increased risk perception and pro-environmental actions. However, YouTube did not show a significant association with beliefs in climate change, and neither did political orientation significantly moderate this relationship. In South Korea, political orientation did not play a significant role in the associations between YouTube and broadcast news use on climate change belief. Further theoretical and practical implications are discussed.