Climate change information seeking: A scoping review

This scoping review aims to synthesize the current understanding of information seeking behavior related to climate change. We systematically analyzed 32 studies derived from 31 articles that spanned across various scholarly disciplines, employed diverse methodologies such as surveys, experiments, and computational analyses, and addressed distinct research questions. Our review identifies key themes, including the motivations driving climate change information seeking and the potential downstream consequences of such behavior. However, it also reveals considerable gaps in the existing body of research, particularly regarding the ambiguities in the conceptualization of information seeking, lack of standardized and validated operationalizations, biases in geographic representation and age distribution of participants, and limited causal evidence. We propose the Process Model of Climate Change Information Seeking to map existing evidence on the topic and identify directions for future research. The model understands information seeking as a dynamic process that delineates four stages: information seeking intention, information search strategies, information selection, and information processing. This review serves as a valuable resource for scholars, practitioners, and policymakers aiming to understand and enhance climate change communication and public engagement in climate action.