Abstract
Red tide is a type of harmful algal bloom (HAB) that occurs frequently in Florida waters and has significant environmental, economic, and human and animal health impacts. Though these blooms are naturally occurring, they are believed to be exacerbated by anthropogenic influences including climate change and nutrient enrichment caused by terrestrial runoff. Despite the significance of red tide and its impacts in Florida, social science research surrounding these HABs is relatively limited. This paper aimed to fill a gap in the social science knowledge about red tide by examining variation in levels of support for red tide mitigation strategies based on different message frames utilized in outreach materials. Using an online survey, Florida residents were exposed to a mock news article about red tide using one of four different message frames (economic loss, human health risks and impacts, environmental damage, or harm to charismatic species) or a control statement. These participants were then queried about their emotional responses to the articles, support for red tide mitigation policies, and intentions to change their behavior to mitigate the harmful effects of red tide. Our results showed significant differences in the emotional responses of individuals exposed to the different treatment frames and the control. The "harm to charismatic species" frame was found to be particularly evocative of negative emotional responses. There were no significant differences in support for red tide policy action, beliefs that addressing red tide should be a priority, or intention to take personal action among respondents exposed to different treatment frames. Different outcomes, covariates, and individual differences were found to relate to each other in some interesting ways - for example, political ideology and gender related to intent to take personal action. The results of this study indicate that the use of message framing in red tide outreach may play a significant role in eliciting environmental emotions. Our findings fill a gap in the body of knowledge surrounding red tide communication strategies; the results of this research may help to inform development of more effective outreach techniques and materials and thus contribute to perpetuating vital red tide mitigation efforts.