A longitudinal process from media to climate change knowledge: a multigroup comparison of cognitive mediation model based on risk perception

Drawing on the cognitive mediation model, we utilized two-wave data of 634 adults in China to examine the longitudinal relationships between different media attention and different knowledge acquisition about climate change. Our findings indicate that attention to social media and websites induces elaboration and consequently gaining factual and structural knowledge about climate change, whereas attention to newspapers and websites induces interpersonal communication, which enhances perceived familiarity with climate change. A multigroup analysis revealed that the effect of elaboration on structural knowledge and factual knowledge was more pronounced among participants with high-risk perception about climate change versus ones with low-risk perception.