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Article published In:
The Agenda Setting Journal
Vol. 4:2 (2020) ► pp.219–240

Deepening the concept of  ‘compelling arguments’

Linking substantive and affective dimensions of attributes in assessing the effects of climate change news on public opinion

ORCID logo | University of Kansas
| University of Texas at Austin |
| University of Kentucky |
| University of Nevada, Reno |

This study examines the effects of both the substantive and affective dimensions of issue attributes in the news coverage of climate change on the public’s perception of the importance of this environmental issue. Results from our analysis show that the four affective dimensions (e.g., positive and negative emotions, anger, and sadness) of the three attributes (e.g., existence, effects, and solutions) exerted strong influence on public issue priority. This study extends the concept of compelling arguments in agenda setting research by suggesting that compelling arguments effects are not solely dependent on substantive attributes. Their affective dimensions are influential, as well.

Keywords: climate change, agenda setting, compelling arguments, substantive attribute, affective attributes
Article outline
  • Literature Review
    • Climate change and the news media
    • Theoretical Background
  • Research Questions & Hypotheses
  • Methods
    • Data Sources
    • Measurement
    • Independent Variables
    • Dependent Variable
    • Analysis
  • Results
    • Demographics
    • News Media Data
  • Discussion & Conclusions
  • Acknowledgements
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 2 September 2020
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/asj.19009.vu
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