Bridging ideologies: analyzing the use of moral language and framing in social media discourse on climate change by U.S. congress members through computational approaches

Abstract The discourse on climate change transcends scientific discussions and policy debates, often incorporating moral language and ethical considerations. This study explores framing strategies in political persuasion and the underlying moral foundations associated with climate change by combining computational methods and critical discourse analysis of tweets from 111th-117th U.S. Congresses members. The aim is to map out the bipartisan trends in the use of moral language and framing concerning climate change issues, thereby enriching the understanding of public opinion dynamics and the evolving partisan divide on climate action. Our findings reveal an intensifying partisan polarization in framing. Contrary to the expected moral divide, we uncover a bipartisan agreement on the moral foundation of care and fairness, and a consistent cross-party employment of moral language associated with frames over time. The interplay between generic frames and moral foundations suggests the potential for collective action on climate change across the political spectrum.