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Does Fox News have strong influence on its audience's attitudes about climate change?

Monday, August 24, 2020
By Allegra Taylor
YES

Multiple surveys over the past decade have found that watching Fox News increases skepticism about climate change among its largely Republican viewers.

Yale University researchers found that frequency of viewing Fox was a significant predictor of support for the Green New Deal, a set of environmental policies first proposed in 2019. When controlling for age and ideology, frequent Fox viewers were much less supportive of the Green New Deal than infrequent viewers.

This phenomenon is not new. A 2011 study on cable news found that “the more often people watched Fox News, the less accepting they were of global warming.” A 2010 study reported that Fox viewers had more distrust in climate scientists and believed suggested policy responses could hurt the economy.

Surveys find that Republicans trust Fox News more than any other major news network.

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