Extending media system dependency theory to informational media use and environmentalism: A cross-national study

The present study applies media system dependency theory to explore how informational media use was associated with two dimensions of environmentalism: the willingness to pay for environmental protection, and environmental citizenship (participating in pro-environmental activities). It also examines how this association varies across structural-level environmental, technological, and political factors. Multilevel models derived from two waves of the World Values Survey implemented in 68 countries revealed that informational media use was positively associated with environmentalism. The effects of informational media usage at individual level on environmentalism were further moderated by country-level factors. Information media use casted greater impacts on environmentalism when the information and communication infrastructure was better developed, or where the real-world environmental situation was worse. © 2020 Elsevier Ltd.