Professional Documents
Culture Documents
November 2004
Volume 46 Number 9
$5.00 U.S.
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Surveying
the Impact
The Day After Tomorrow
ALSO . . .
SUVs:
Perception
versus
performance
Stormwater
on the Web
1 1>
8
74820 64645
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Before and After The
A U.S.
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
Day After Tomorrow
. Study of Climate Change Risk Perception
by Anthony A. Leiserowitz
O
n Memorial Day weekend 2004, Twentieth Century Fox released
The Day After Tomorrow, a disaster movie depicting an abrupt
and catastrophic climate change. In the movie, a global warming
induced shutdown of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation system1
triggers extreme weather events worldwide and subsequently a new ice
age, with wrenching global consequences. Before it even hit the the-
aters, however, the movie generated an intense storm of media con-
troversy as scientists, politicians, advocacy groups, and political
pundits debated the scientific accuracy and political implications
of the movie and global climate change.
Numerous predictions were made as to how the movie would
influence risk perceptions and attitudes of the U.S. public
toward global warming. Some commentators feared that the
catastrophic plotline of The Day After Tomorrow would be
so extreme that the public would subsequently dismiss the
entire issue of global warming as fantasy. At the other
end of the spectrum, others spun a scenario in which,
panicked by the movie, the U.S. public would
force Congress to pass climate change legisla-
tion, President George W. Bush would subse-
quently veto the bill, and challenger John
Kerry would exploit public hysteria over
global warming to win the U.S. presi-
dential election. Some predicted
the film would do more to raise
public awareness of global
warming than any number
of scientific papers or
documentaries, while
others opined that
the film would
TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX
have no impact at all.2 The Day After quality of news coverage about the shark panics such as was seen in
Tomorrow went on to become one of the movie and to compare The Day After the United States in the summer of
most commercially successful movies of Tomorrow with two other recent contro- 2001. Likewise, the dramatic portrayal
all time, grossing nearly half a billion versial films and two real-world news of a nuclear accident in The China Syn-
dollars worldwide in a little more than a events. The research tested the hypothe- drome (1979), combined with the sub-
month.3 But what impact did the movie sis that representations of risk in popular sequent real-world accident at Three
have on U.S. risk perceptions, behavioral culture can have a powerful influence on Mile Island, arguably shaped the public
intentions, and political preferences? public risk perceptionsin some cases debate about the safety of nuclear
To answer this question, a national more powerful than official risk commu- power. This synergism of fiction and
study was conducted to explore the pub- nications from scientists, government reality may have greatly amplified the
lic impact of The Day After Tomorrow. officials, or special interest groups.4 perceived risk of nuclear power, with
The study included two nationally repre- Anecdotal evidence suggests that this ripple effects that still reverberate in
sentative surveys of the U.S. public. The influence can, at times, be profound. For public opinion and fundamentally con-
first survey was implemented a week example, the film Jaws (1975) is thought strain the industry today. According to
before the movies release and the sec- by many to have greatly amplified pub- researchers Roger and Jeanne Kasper-
ond was done four weeks later, after the lic risk perceptions of shark attacks. The son, although these events resulted in
movie had played in theaters for three vivid imagery and theme music from no fatalities, [they] shut down nuclear
full weekends. The second survey also this movie still reverberate in the public plants worldwide, cost billions of dol-
oversampled movie watchers to allow mind, stoking individual fears, influ- lars, and eroded public confidence in
comparative analysis with nonwatch- encing behavior (such as vacation and nuclear power and (perhaps) other high
ers. Finally, a media content analysis swimming preferences), and generating technologies, industry and regulatory
was conducted with two purposes in countless secondary ripple effects, institutions.5 Despite these intriguing
mind: to determine the quantity and including re-emergent, media-driven examples, however, and even though
Figure 1. Percent of watchers and nonwatchers who found each item somewhat
or very likely.
In the United States, how likely do you think it is that each of the following will
occur during the next 50 years due to global warming?
100
80 Watchers
Nonwatchers
60
Percent
40
20
0
More intense Flooding of Food Standards of Gulf Stream New ice age
storms, hurricanes, major cities shortages living decrease shutdown
tornadoes
Which one of the five pictures below best represents your understanding
of how the climate system works?
Climate is stable Climate is random Climate is slow to Climate shows a Climate is very
within certain limits. and unpredictable. change. Global delicate balance. stable. Global
If the changes are We do not know warming will Small changes will warming will have
small, climate will what will happen. gradually lead to have abrupt little to no impact.
return to equilibrium. dangerous impacts. and catastrophic
If they are large, impacts.
there will be abrupt
and catastrophic
impacts.
A B C D E
40
30
Watchers
Percent
Nonwatchers
20
10
0
A B C D E
How likely are you to do the following because of your concerns about
global warming?
80
Watchers
60
Nonwatchers
Percent
40
20
0
Purchase a more Talk to friends or family Join, donate money, Express your views
fuel-efficient car about how to reduce volunteer with global on global warming
or prevent global warming warming group to politicians
NOTE: Nonwatchers weighted (n = 390), watchers weighted (n = 139).
SOURCE: A. Leiserowitz.
3,000
broadcast media and newspapers
Number of stories in major U.S.
1,500
1,000
500
0
2001 IPCC Report The Day After Fahrenheit 9/11 The Passion Abu Ghraib
(1/13/30/04) Tomorrow (4/257/20/04) of the Christ (4/287/20/04)
(3/286/28/04) (12/25/033/25/04)
Films/Events
SOURCE: Lexis-Nexis.
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