Do PSAs Take a Bite Out of Shark Week? The Effects of Juxtaposing Environmental Messages With Violent Images of Shark Attacks

Bibliographic Data

ID6219358
AuthorsJessica Gall Myrick (0000-0001-9944-5138, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA, corresponding author), Suzannah D Evans (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA), Suzannah Evans (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
Year2014
Volume36
Issue5
Pages544-569
Publication date2014-10-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScience Communication (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1075-5470 • E-ISSN: 1552-8545
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/1075547014547159
OpenAlexW1979026316
LanguageEN
Citations received10
References cited58

A between-subjects experiment ( N = 531) studied the juxtaposition of programming from the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week with shark conservation public service announcements (PSAs). Cultivation and priming theories provided a conceptual framework for testing how shark-on-human violence paired with different types of PSAs (celebrity endorser present or not) influence audiences’ emotional reactions, threat perceptions, willingness to support conservation, and intentions to seek information. Findings reveal that shark-on-human violence and presence of a PSA influence fear reactions and perceived threat of shark attacks. Findings related to conservation support, information seeking, and the role of previous Shark Week viewing and demographics are also discussed

Biology · Demographics · Perception · Sociology · Animal and Plant Science Education · Digital Marketing and Social Media · Psychology · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology

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