Understanding the Persuasive Impacts of Framing Climate Change as National Security: A Multi-Method Study

Doran Tucker

Advisor: Chris Clarke, PhD, Department of Communication

Committee Members: Edward W Maibach, Sergey A Samoylenko

Horizon Hall, #5225
July 18, 2025, 02:00 PM to 04:00 PM

Abstract:

This dissertation reports a multi-method effort to better understand the effects of framing climate change as a threat to national security. Drawing on academic and gray literature from the defense community, two externally valid messages describing climate change’s security impact were used in a qualitative interview study (n = 13) and a nationally representative survey experiment (n = 1203). Findings suggest that the climate as security messages did not generate significant persuasive effects. Similarly, tests related to moderating and mediation effects of source, trustworthiness, trust, and risk perceptions provided little evidence for conditional or indirect effects of climate as security messages. The studies do suggest broad-based support for continued military engagement on climate change, but not for military advocacy on climate issues.

https://gmu.zoom.us/j/8784999370

Meeting ID: 878 499 9370