10.3c3 Framing Theory

Framing theory observes that a social movement’s growth, success, or both  hinges on its appeal (DeFronzo & Gill, 2020). In other words, social movement organizations can gain more participants and get the broader public to accept the social movement’s claims as legitimate with an appealing frame.

Research shows that how social movement organizations frame climate change as an opportunity or a threat using a theme related to the economy, environment, health, or migration changes public support for climate policy across China, India, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States (Dasandi et al., 2022). In their experimental survey, Dasandi and colleagues (2022) found that using an environmental frame led to support across all five countries. A health frame led to support for climate policy across four countries (not Germany). In contrast, an economic frame did not influence support, and a migration frame decreased support across all five countries.