According to another communication scholar, Tribbia, there are certain characteristics inherent in certain people that either encourages or discourages political involvement and civic engagement, specifically in the case of environmental issues. These characteristics include things like demographics and values such as; race, gender, socioeconomic status, and religion. The second factor is the person’s willingness to get involved and their motivation to engage in whatever cause they feel is important. Tribbia’s third factor, information process and behavioral intent, addresses both the public’s ability to understand and comprehend the issue and then how they act in return. Lastly, the fourth and fifth factors focus on the ability of the individual to engage in environmentally responsible behavior as well as the external support said individual receives for acting environmentally conscious. If we can somehow teach American people about this ‘ideal citizen’ then perhaps we can start to see more civic engagement, and therefore political engagement with environmental problems and policy, and the government at large. Informing the public is only the first step in facilitating a public consciousness and encouraging political action. The news media has been successful in grabbing American people’s attention but we must now develop strategies to properly motivate them to be friendly towards the environment and acting on said belief.
Post by Zoe Burgess
