Communicating Antarctica in a changing climate – recommendations following a national survey

Antarctica's influence on Earth's climate and ocean systems, along with its scientific value and unique international governance arrangements, makes it a site of global importance. As a place known primarily through mediated representation, its associations with natural wonder, scientific discovery, and international cooperation also lend it significant symbolic power. While environmental communication scholarship largely concurs that news media influences public perceptions and policy-making decisions regarding the environment, there is limited understanding as to how news media about Antarctica informs audiences or influences policy. This paper presents findings on public attitudes towards and knowledge about Antarctica in the Australian context as a first step towards the analysis of existing efforts to communicate the importance and vulnerability of the continent in a warming world. We found that public knowledge about Antarctica is low compared to the generally strong support for some Australian activities on the continent and, while many Australians express interest and concern for activities in Antarctica, they report being poorly informed about these topics by news media. The paper concludes with four recommendations for Antarctic stakeholders to consider.