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Researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, the University of Hamburg, Freie Universität Berlin and the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT show in a recent publication in the journal Nature Climate Change that television in Germany remains one of the most important media for engaging with the issue of climate change. Moreover, television can contribute to societal consensus-building. The study finds that climate-related television content primarily reaches news-oriented audiences, while disengaged and sceptical groups rarely encounter the topic due to their preferred TV formats.
“Research so far has focused strongly on the problematic effects of social media in the context of climate change – such as polarization or misinformation. Much less attention has been paid to the role traditional broadcast media play in fostering deliberative and democracy-supporting communication on issues such as climate change, even though they continue to reach broad audiences despite increasing digitalization,” explains Imke Hoppe from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, describing the motivation behind the study.
The study has been published as an open access article in the journal Nature Climate Change:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-026-02575-3
Large-scale empirical analysis
The study analysed the television programmes of 20 public and private broadcasters in Germany between 1 September and 1 November 2022. The analysis was complemented by a representative audience survey with 1,445 participants.
An interdisciplinary research team led by communication scientists Imke Hoppe (LMU Munich) and Irene Neverla (University of Hamburg / Freie Universität Berlin) analysed around 23,478 hours of television programming – an approach for which there are hardly any comparable studies to date.
Methodological innovation: AI-supported analysis of television content
For the first time, the researchers combined classical social science methods with advanced AI-based image and audio analysis technologies developed at the Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT.
Using intelligent text analysis as well as automated facial analysis and systematic speech-to-text transcription, the research team was able to analyse extremely large datasets amounting to approximately 1.8 million minutes of broadcast material.
Climate change on TV: Visible, but mid-range in overall attention
The analysis of television content showed that around 80 percent of climate-related broadcast minutes appear in news and information programmes, while only about 20 percent occur in entertainment-oriented formats.
During the observation period, climate change ranked fourth among television topics in terms of airtime, clearly behind social issues (4.5 percent), war (4.2 percent) and the economy (3.4 percent).
The study also examined the representation of social groups. Of the 71,971 faces detected, only 34 percent were female. According to the authors, this unequal visibility limits television’s capacity to function as an inclusive democratic space for public debate.
Climate change on television: Visible – but mainly for the already engaged
Alongside the content analysis, the researchers conducted a representative population survey with 1,445 respondents.
The results confirm that climate-related reporting mainly appears in informational formats. These formats are primarily used by individuals who are already receptive to the topic.
Viewers with a more distant or sceptical attitude toward climate change are reached significantly less often.
The researchers describe this pattern as a reach asymmetry: television fulfils its informational role but mainly reinforces existing interest. To anchor climate issues more broadly in society and strengthen the integrative role of television, more inclusive storytelling formats, more diverse representations of social groups, and programming beyond traditional news formats are needed.
Polycrisis and media priorities
The study period coincided with a phase of overlapping crises – including war in Europe, rising energy prices, inflation debates and social distribution issues. The analysis shows that climate-related topics received less attention than these acute crises within the overall media landscape.
Against this background, the study raises important questions for media policy:
\ To what extent does the dual broadcasting system place long-term future issues such as climate change on the agenda when short-term crises dominate reporting?
\ What responsibility do public service broadcasters bear in an increasingly fragmented media landscape – from television and social media to online platforms – for shaping public opinion and social cohesion?
\ And what role do traditional television formats play compared with social media in structuring public debates about societal futures?
A collaborative effort between social, media and data scientists
The study design and overall leadership were provided by Imke Hoppe (LMU Munich) and Irene Neverla (University of Hamburg / Freie Universität Berlin).
The automated analysis of keywords and content was conducted by Felix Dörpmund (LMU Munich / Center for Digital Technology and Management).
Data collection and the development of a data management framework were led by Christian Weigel. The AI-based facial analysis was developed by Alexander Loos and the automatic speech-to-text generation by Stephanus Volke (all Fraunhofer Institute for Digital Media Technology IDMT in Ilmenau and Oldenburg).
Conceptual contributions and scientific support were provided by Matthias Garschagen (LMU Munich), Thomas Kox (Weizenbaum Institute Berlin) and Jens-Ekkehart Appell (Fraunhofer IDMT).
Data collection was made possible by ARD, ZDF, ProSiebenSat.1 and RTL Deutschland. The project was funded by the MaLisa Foundation.
Prof. Dr. Imke Hoppe
Science Communication and Climate Education
Department of Geography
Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Luisenstraße 37 | Room A 330 | 80333 Munich
Imke.Hoppe@lmu.de | +49 (0)89 2180 4030
Figure 1: Climate-related topics accounted for only 2.2 percent of total airtime – significantly les ...
Figure 2: Difference between the perceived and desired representation of social groups in television ...
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