The Roles of Media Platforms, Political Orientation and Climate Change Belief in Pro-Environmental Behaviors: Cross-Cutting Versus Like-Minded Exposure in the United States and South Korea.

This article examines how information acquisition on YouTube and traditional broadcast news influences climate change beliefs, risk perception, and pro-environmental behaviors, with a focus on the moderating role of political orientation and a cross-national comparison between the United States and South Korea. The study found that in the U.S., conservatives who rely more on broadcast news exhibit stronger beliefs in climate change and greater engagement in pro-environmental behaviors, while YouTube use showed no significant effect on beliefs regardless of political orientation. In South Korea, political orientation did not significantly moderate these relationships, and YouTube use was positively associated with climate change belief, reflecting less politicization of the issue. The findings highlight differences in media effects shaped by the politicization of climate change and suggest broadcast news may incidentally expose U.S. conservatives to climate change information, potentially fostering greater risk perception and environmental action.