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Saturday, November 12
1 6 : 0 0 – 1 7 : 3 0
PP 707
Only Tears and Storms? Emotions in Audio-Visual Risk Communication
S. Kretzschmar
1
, V. Wassink
1
1
Universität der Bundeswehr München, Business Administration, Neubiberg, Germany
The consequences of climate change have become more and more visible all over the world. Heat waves, droughts, and intense rain events have increased in
frequency during the last years.Therefore strategies for an effective protection will become more important in the future. Individuals often can make an ap‑
preciable contribution to be prepared in time for extreme weather conditions. In the case of natural catastrophes, an appropriate risk communication is very
important.With our research project, we want to answer the question whether audio-visual content can generate attention and interest for risk-related top‑
ics and help to reach effects which are relevant for further action. On the one hand our theoretical foundations are based on an emotional impact of media
on risk perception. This also includes influences of fear and empathy (Scherer 2001, Zillmann 2001, Shen 2010), the identification of relevant media figures
(Döring 2013), and general emotional involvement (Grabe et al. 2000). On the other hand also cognitive media effects are relevant, due to the influence
of persuasion, a clear presentation of figures, e.g. by the presence of animations (e.g. Petty & Cacioppo 1986, Brosius 1990, Kim et al. 2007). Of interest are
mainly the effects of the individual risk perception, the perceived concern, and belief in the efficacy of the preventative measures, on which an intended
action can be derived. In an experimental research design, we pursued the question how audio-visual content influences the user. Over the past two years,
twelve information films for the protection of buildings against natural events have been produced in cooperation with the German Federal Office for Civil
Protection and Disaster Assistance. For the associated research project, three of these videos (3–4 min.) were chosen with the topics of storm, snow and hail
damage. Within a 2x2 study design, each of these three videos were systematically varied by changing the usage of emotional elements and animations.
In addition to the original version, there is one version without emotional elements, one without animations and one without both of these two elements.
The participants of the study took part via online survey. In a preliminary survey 1318 persons in total were interviewed in November/December 2015. Focus
of this first study was the influence of the varied media elements on risk perception and the appraisal of action and self-efficacy of the protective measures
against natural hazards, which are proposed in the videos. First results are already available for this purpose. In a second survey, which is currently carried
out with about 2000 participants, it will be investigated to what extent the users can be motivated to search for further information on a specific website
of the German Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance. Again, the design mentioned above with the integration of various film versions is
applied to the study. In our presentation we will show how emotions are relevant factors within the audio-visual communication, and how they can cause
effects for further action.