West LA Times

A recent study by researchers at UCLA and Duke University has revealed a correlation between robust local newspapers and increased public support for funding essential infrastructure such as dams and sewers, which are critical to climate resilience. The study found that even a few additional paragraphs providing context could enhance support for spending on these projects and increase voters' willingness to hold local politicians accountable for neglecting infrastructure by voting them out of office.

Megan Mullin, a UCLA political scientist specializing in environmental politics, stated, “Empty newsrooms and AI reporting don’t provide communities with the information they need to make investments for their own health and security.” She added that local news reporting helps build public support for infrastructure investments.

“Heat, floods, drought, and fire are putting new stress on aging and deteriorating infrastructure, which must be maintained to protect communities against these growing climate risks. Our study shows that investing in facilities that improve our resilience to climate hazards requires investing in the health of local news,” Mullin said.

She further observed more support for infrastructure spending when people read news coverage that provided context about infrastructure neglect and its consequences. However, she warned about the decline in depth of reporting on 'invisible' infrastructure due to fewer reporters staffing newsrooms.

The complete study is available in the peer-reviewed journal Political Behavior. In addition to her role as a political scientist, Mullin is also a public policy professor at UCLA and serves as faculty director of the UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation. Her research primarily focuses on factors shaping political responses to climate change and U.S. partisan polarization around climate change issues.

Media outlets are encouraged to quote from Mullin’s comments or reach out for additional context, research, and analysis from UCLA climate experts on these and other environmental topics.