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Activities
Our current research investigates four broad questions:
1. What are various audiences currently thinking and doing about climate change? What barriers do they face with regard to civic engagement and personal behavior change? What additional resources would help people engage as citizens and change their personal behaviors? Click here for examples of this research.
- A nationally representative survey of approximately 12,000 adults and 1,000 of their children (conducted in association with Porter Novelli) to assess if beliefs about climate change as a threat, and beliefs about climate change being solvable, influence people's actions regarding energy use and conservation.
- A nationally representative survey of local public health department directors to determine if these important community officials view climate change as a threat to the public's health, and if so, what they are doing about it.
- Analysis of a large nationally representative survey of children to determine their interest in taking actions to address global warming.
2. What are the most effective ways of reaching various audiences with climate change information of value to them? Click here for examples of this research.
- An analysis of national survey data to identify the characteristics of local "opinion leaders" – people whose informal influence is unusually influential among other members of their community.
3. What information is worth knowing, and how can it be most effectively presented? Click here for examples of this research.
- A study to identify various audiences' "mental models" of the energy-saving options available to them.
- An experiment testing ways to improve the effectiveness of lists of recommended actions.
4. What is currently being conveyed about climate change in the media, and what is its impact on viewers? Click here for examples of this research.
- A content analysis of recent Chinese news media coverage about climate change.
- A critical assessment of the current public dialogue about climate change in China.
- A critical assessment of American radio news and information programming about climate change.
- An analysis of national survey data to estimate the impact of climate change news on viewer's perceptions.
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Public Attitudes about Climate Change. April 8, 2008
A workshop for climate change public opinion researchers co-hosted with National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, NASA, and the Climate Solutions Project, to identify ways of improving and advancing public opinion research on climate change. Click here for the meeting summary report.
Focus the Nation. January 29, 2008
A day-long "teach in" about climate change, hosted with other Mason organizations, intended to engage members of the Mason community in understanding and taking action on climate change.
The Public Health Response to Climate Change: Effective Health Communication and Marketing. January 8-9, 2008
A planning workshop, co-hosted with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to identify strategies for communicating the serious public health consequences of climate change.
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Our faculty serve or have recently served as advisors to the following organizations:
- Health Sciences Online. In December 2008 this new online resource was launched, where anyone can search for and find more than 50,000 courses, references, guidelines, and other expert-reviewed, high-quality, current, cost-free and ad-free health science resources. Ed Maibach is a member of the Advisory Committee.
- The National Academies (National Academy of Science, Institute of Medicine). In April 2008, Ed Maibach served as a member of an advisory committee to help conceptualize a study on climate change mitigation and adaptation options commissioned by the U.S. Congress.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2007 and 2008, Ed Maibach has served as a special adviser to the director of CDC's National Center for Health Marketing. In this capacity, he has also collaborated closely with the climate change team at CDC's National Center for Environmental Health.
- American Public Health Association. In the months leading up to National Public Health Week (NPHW) 2008 titled "Climate Change: Our Health in the Balance," Ed Maibach served on the NPHW Advisory Committee. The committee helped APHA staff develop a blueprint for combatting the health effects of climate change that was issued at a press event by former Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, APHA Executive Director Dr. Georges Benjamin, and 4C Director Dr. Ed Maibach.
- The Climate Solutions Project is a major national touring event that was conceived, is currently being developed, by one of the nation's leading science museum designer firms, the Bowman Design Group. Ed Maibach co-chairs the Scientific Advisory Board for the project.
- US Climate Change Science Program. In October 2007, Ed Maibach was invited to provide CCSP with input on refocus their strategic plan which guides the federal investment in climate change research.
- National Environmental Education Foundation is designing an online climate change education course for broadcast meteorologists -- a critical group of public communicators on the topic of weather and climate. Ed Maibach is serving as a member of the advisory committee that is helping to develop the course.
- High Road for Human Rights is a pair of newly established non-profit organizations -- an educational organization and an advocacy organization -- that seek to activate America to take a more aggressive role in preventing human rights abuses (including climate change) around the world. Ed Maibach is a member of the board of directors.
- George Mason University Sustainability Office and Climate Commitment. Change begins at home. George Mason University is committed to zeroing out its climate emissions and improving the sustainability of its operations in many other ways, and is aggressively working toward this goal. Ed Maibach is a member of Mason's Sustainability Executive Committee.
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Our faculty is currently guest editing special issues on climate change communication for the following journals:
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Many of our publications are open access and available to you at no cost. Publications that are not open access may be available to you at no cost through your library, or can be purchased online from the journal.
Maibach, E., Steg, L., & Anable, J. (2009) Promoting physical activity and reducing climate change: Opportunities to replace short car trips with active transportation. Preventive Medicine, 49(4), 326-327. Retrieve from here.
Maibach, E., & Hornig Priest, S. (2009). No more "Business as Usual": Addressing climate change through constructive engagement. Science Communication, 30(3), 299-304. Retrieve here.
Maibach, E. W., Chadwick, A., McBride, D., Chuk, M. Ebi, K. L., et al. (2008). Climate change and local public health in the United States: Preparedness, programs and perceptions of local public health department directors. PLoS ONE, 3(7), e2838. Retrieve here.
Kreps, G., & Maibach, E. (in press). Transdisciplinary science: The nexus between communication and public health. Journal of Communication.
Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., & Leiserowitz, A. (2008). Communication and marketing as climate change intervention assets: A public health perspective. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 35(5), 488-500. Retrieve from here.
Roser-Renouf, C., & Maibach, E. (in press). Communicating climate change. In S. Priest (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Science and Technology Communication. Retrieve here.
Abroms, L., & Maibach, E. (2008). The effectiveness of mass communication to change public behavior. Annual Review of Public Health, 29, 1-16. Retrieve here.
Handy, S., Sallis, J., Weber, D., Maibach, E., & Hollander, M. (2008) Is support for traditionally designed communities growing?: Evidence from two national surveys. Journal of the American Planning Association, 74, 209 – 221. Retrieve here.
Kyle, J. W., Hammitt, J. K., Lim, H. W., Geller, A. C., Hall-Jordon, L., Maibach E. W., DeFabo, E. C., & Wagner, M. C. (2008). Economic evaluation of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s SunWise Program: Sun protection education for young children. Pediatrics,121(5), e1074-e1084. Retrieve here.
National Association of City and County Health Officials, Environmental Defense Fund & George Mason University. (2008). Are we ready?: Preparing for the public health challenges of climate change. Retrieve here.
Porter Novelli & George Mason University. (2008) What are Americans thinking and doing about global warming? The results of a national household survey. Retrieve here.
Roser-Renouf, C. & Nisbet, M. (2008). The measurement of key behavioral science constructs in climate change research. International Journal of Sustainability Communication, 3, 37-95. Retrieve here.
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