Improper household fertilization and irrigation habits can harm water quality and availability. Educators use campaigns and messages to encourage residents to apply best management practices when caring for their lawns to reduce the negative impact on water quality. However, these campaigns can be ineffective because they falsely assume that more knowledge about a topic results in behavior change. Visual communication through videos has become an increasingly popular campaign method to encourage people to change their behaviors. However, little is known about the most effective video messaging for influencing environmental awareness. This study evaluates alternative methods of communication for environmental campaigns to encourage residents to protect water resources.
Previous research has demonstrated that teaching the same information from different points of view—also known as framing—could alter peoples' perceptions, beliefs, and behaviors regarding a certain topic of interest. Recent studies have evaluated the efficacy of these approaches for communicating about water protection and environmental conservation. This study applied two types of framing messages: gain-framed and loss-framed. Gain-framed messaging demonstrates the benefits of adopting the behavioral change, such as using less fertilizer. Loss-framed messaging discusses the disadvantages of neglecting the change, such as harming your lawn and the environment if you continue to use fertilizer.
This study took place in Florida. Using a survey research company, the authors surveyed a member from a household with the following criteria: a Florida resident, 18 years of age or older, and responsible for making decisions about irrigation and fertilization practices for the household. Over 2,000 participants were randomly assigned to one of five groups: 1) control group (no framing), 2) fertilizer gain-frame, 3) fertilizer loss-frame, 4) irrigation gain-frame, and 5) irrigation loss-frame. The researchers created four 30-second videos (two irrigation, two fertilizer) that highlighted the importance of protecting water ecosystems in Florida. Each video told similar stories, but applied different framing strategies to determine if one type of framing was more influential than the others. For example, the fertilizer video encouraged viewers to read the label before use and to clean up spills on impervious surfaces. The gain-frame showed the benefits of adopting these practices, while the loss-frame demonstrated the harm associated with failing to follow these strategies. After watching the videos, the participants completed a survey with multiple-choice questions regarding how likely or unlikely they were to adopt fertilizer and irrigation best management practices. The data were analyzed using statistics.
Overall, findings were consistent with previous research that gain- and loss-framed videos encourage the same level of participation in environmental behaviors. Across all frames, results indicated that the majority of participants were likely or very likely to adopt environmentally sound fertilization practices, reduce fertilization runoff, and prevent fertilizers from spilling. Similarly, over half of the respondents were likely or very likely to engage in irrigation best management strategies. However, one frame was not more influential than others.
The authors concluded that the videos—regardless of the framing—had little influence on the viewers because the participants have heard similar environmental messages before and view the information as redundant. Many water protection strategies emphasize environmental messages, causing the public to become oversaturated with this information. Consequently, the authors recommended that environmental educators should apply new messages or innovative forms of communication to create efficient environmental campaigns.
Additionally, the researchers caution that practitioners should use assertive or emphatic messages in their campaigns only when the public views the issue with high saliency. In contrast, subtle messages that provide general information are more influential for viewers that have little to no knowledge of the issue. The findings highlighted the importance of audience research and tailoring the environmental campaign to be appealing to the audience.
The authors cautioned against generalizing the results because the participants may have different perceptions compared to audiences in other locations. For example, Florida residents may be oversaturated with water resource protection because it is a prominent issue in the state. However, residents in other states will have different knowledge of a topic and therefore may be more likely to change their behaviors following gain- or loss-framed videos. This study did not determine if the participants engaged in fertilization or irrigation best management strategies prior to watching the videos.
The authors recommend that informational campaigns be based on audience knowledge and perception and to implement varying forms of communication. The researchers suggest that an assertive campaign message should be used if the issue has high saliency, while a subtle and informational message should be applied for low saliency. Similarly, if an audience is oversaturated with information they may view campaign message as redundant; innovative forms of communication—such as videos from drones—can create an effective environmental campaign message.
The Bottom Line
<p>This study evaluated video communication strategies and their efficacy in encouraging water resource protection through irrigation and fertilization approaches among residents in Florida. After viewing the videos, more than half of the respondents were likely to engage in both fertilization and irrigation best management practices. However, differently framed videos did not result in participants reporting more or less inclined to manage their landscapes sustainably. Additionally, the research indicated that an audience that views an issue as salient may respond better to an emphatic message, but the broader public may prefer a more subdued message. The researchers recommend researching the audience when creating an environmental campaign to determine the best messaging approach.</p>
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