Learning about climate change with algorithmic news? A two-wave panel study examining the role of “news-finds-me” perception

Abstract

In an ambient news environment, people often believe that they can be well-informed without actively seeking news, resulting in the “news-finds-me” (NFM) perception. Leveraging a two-wave panel survey in China (W1N = 1,465; W2N = 1,015), we examined the impact of the NFM perception on climate change knowledge. Findings showed that NFM did not influence climate change knowledge, while algorithmic news attitude (ANA) played a mediating role. Specifically, NFM was positively associated with ANA, which in turn facilitated knowledge. Furthermore, this relationship was moderated by discussion network heterogeneity. The positive effect of ANA and the positive indirect effect of NFM on climate change knowledge were stronger among those with a more heterogeneous discussion network. Implications are discussed.