Comparing the Effects of Information on Geoengineering Options Support Across Four Online Samples

[Geoengineering News]

https://www.researchsquare.com/article/rs-4838161/v1

Authors

Frederic Traylor, Steven Brechin, Rachael Shwom

https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4838161/v1

29 April 2025

Abstract

Geoengineering represents a set of options to reduce the greenhouse effect that causes global climate change. While public support is necessary for effective governance and implementation, the lay public has low awareness of its existence, types, and mechanisms. Prior studies have found that providing information to the public can affect support, but there are conflicting results. This study examines to what extent these differences may be the result of survey sampling rather than the information itself. Survey respondents were randomly assigned to receive either basic or extensive information about five types of geoengineering: space mirrors, stratospheric aerosol injection, ocean fertilization, direct air capture, and afforestation. This design was replicated across four online survey samples gathered from address-based sampling, an opt-in online panel, Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), and a college classroom. Across analyses, there was general consistency of effects between the address-based sample, the opt-in sample, and the classroom sample, with limited exceptions. The MTurk sample, however, was overly noisy, even when filtering out responses that failed two attention checks. These findings suggest that sampling effects on previous studies are limited when proper samples are used, but MTurk samples remain nonrepresentative.

Source: Research Square