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Please note!
This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.
Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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FACT BRIEF

Does Fox News have strong influence on its audience's attitudes about climate change?

By Allegra Taylor
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YES

Multiple surveys over the past decade have found that watching Fox News increases skepticism about climate change among its largely Republican viewers.

Yale University researchers found that frequency of viewing Fox was a significant predictor of support for the Green New Deal, a set of environmental policies first proposed in 2019. When controlling for age and ideology, frequent Fox viewers were much less supportive of the Green New Deal than infrequent viewers.

This phenomenon is not new. A 2011 study on cable news found that “the more often people watched Fox News, the less accepting they were of global warming.” A 2010 study reported that Fox viewers had more distrust in climate scientists and believed suggested policy responses could hurt the economy.

Surveys find that Republicans trust Fox News more than any other major news network.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Yale: Political polarization on the Green New Deal
SAGE Journals: Impact of global warming coverage on cable TV
Florida Tech: Impact of global warming coverage on cable TV (full text)
Grist: Stanford research on Fox viewers and global warming
Pew Research Center: Five facts about Fox News (2020)
Pew Research Center: Political polarization and media habits (2014)
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Gigafact
Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.