Improving News Media Communication of Sustainability and the Environment: An Exploration of Approaches

The majority of earlier studies on media and the environment have concentrated on media contents, effects, and associated problems and limitations. The focus here on 'approaches to improvement' advances research in this field a step forward. This research proposes three broad 'approaches to improvemen' and undertakes four case studies to provide an exploration of their potentials. First is the 'educational approach' of building journalists' knowledge. Two cases studies illustrate the high potentials of this approach. Assessment of a mid-career training initiative in environmental reporting reveals positive impacts on journalists' knowledge, reporting skills, and job satisfaction. Evaluation of a university journalism module on sustainability shows increases in students' understanding of the meaning and multidimensional nature of sustainability, and their appreciation of the need for enhancing public awareness through media coverage. Second is the 'social responsibility approach' of media receptiveness towards a more responsible role in communicating these issues. An analysis of newspersons' views reveals partial support for this approach – although they were somewhat unreceptive to media environmental policies as a way of expressing social responsibility, they tended to be receptive towards an educative role. However, journalistic routines and norms may restrict an educative approach to news reporting. Third is the 'message framing approach' of employing effective and persuasive communication strategies in the framing of mediated information to influence understanding and perception. An experimental assessment of an information campaign on 'sustainable consumption', designed based on this approach finds some increases in community understanding and concern; thus, illustrating the potentials of this approach. Finally, drawing from the findings of the case studies and other observations in the literature the study identifies the interdependencies between the three approaches and the interconnected network of other influencing factors that are likely to determine their success – thus providing a clearer perspective of their viability in the real world

A national public health programme on gambling policy development in New Zealand: insights from a process evaluation

Abstract Background In New Zealand, a public health programme on gambling policy development is part of a national gambling harm reduction and prevention strategy mandated by the Gambling Act 2003. Funded by the Ministry of Health, the programme directs workplace/organisational gambling policies, non-gambling fundraising policies, and local council policies on electronic gaming machines (EGMs). We carried out a process evaluation of this programme to identify practical information (e.g. advocacy approaches; challenges and ameliorating strategies) that can be used by programme planners and implementers to reinforce programme effectiveness and serve to guide similar policy-focused public health initiatives elsewhere. Methods Evaluation criteria, based on the programme’s official service specifications, guided our evaluation questions, analysis and reporting. To identify informative aspects of programme delivery, we thematically analysed over 100 six-monthly implementer progress reports (representing 3 years of programme delivery) and transcript of a focus group with public health staff. Results Identified output-related themes included purposeful awareness raising to build understanding about gambling harms and the need for harm-reduction policies and stakeholder relationship development. Outcome-related themes included enhanced community awareness about gambling harms, community involvement in policy development, some workplace/organisational policy development, and some influences on council EGM policies. Non-gambling fundraising policy development was not common. Conclusions The programme offers an unprecedented gambling harm reduction approach. Although complex (due to its three distinct policy focus areas targeting different sectors) and challenging (due to the extensive time and resources needed to develop relationships and overcome counteractive views), the programme resulted in some policy development. Encouraging workplace/organisational policy development requires increased awareness of costs to employers and society and appreciation of policy value. Although encouraging non-gambling fundraising policies will likely remain challenging, public debate on ethical aspects could stimulate policy consideration. Influencing council EGM policy decisions will remain important for minimising EGM accessibility among vulnerable communities. Public involvement in EGM policy decisions has strong implications for policy effectiveness. Given the expanding range of gambling activities (including online gambling) presently accessible to communities worldwide, both organisational and public policies (as advocated through the programme) are needed to minimise gambling harms

ISSP2020: Environment IV

The seventh International Social Survey Programme (ISSP) survey by COMPASS Research Centre, University of Auckland | Waipapa Taumata Rau. More information on our surveys, including data visualisations, can be found at International Social Survey Programme - The University of Auckland. A verbose rundown on topics covered follows. Attitudes towards environmental protection. Preferred government measures for environmental protection. Responsibility of the government to reduce income differences among the citizens; highest and next highest priority in the own country; attitude to modern science (scale); attitude to the environment (scale). Judgement on the contrast of environmental protection and economic growth; economic growth harms the environment; willingness to pay higher prices and higher taxes or to accept reductions in standard of living for the benefit of protection of the environment; self-classification of participation in environmental protection (scale); estimation of dangerousness of air pollution caused by cars for the environment, for the respondent and their family. Classification of air pollution from industrial waste gases, pesticides and chemicals in agriculture, water pollution and a rise in the world´s temperature caused by the greenhouse effect, the modification of genes of certain crops as dangerous for the environment; preference for the regulation of environmental protection by the government, the population or the economy; estimation of the efforts of NZ to protect the world environment; more effort for the environment by business and industry, people in general or the government; attitude towards international agreements for environmental problems that each country should be made to follow; agreement with poorer countries to make less effort than richer countries to protect the environment; economic progress will slow down without better protection of the environment. Trust in institutions; frequency of own efforts to sort glass or tins or plastic or newspapers for recycling; frequency of car trips and flights (unusual measurements during COVID); membership in an environmental protection organization; personal environmental political activities in the last five years through participation in signing petitions, giving donations to environmental groups as well as participating in demonstrations. Observations of positive environmental changes during COVID lockdowns; concerns around environmental impacts of items specific to pandemic times; opinion on global changes that could be made in a post-COVID world. Demography: age; sex; marital status; steady life-partner; years in school; current employment status; occupation (ISCO-08); sector of employment; nature of employment; number of employees; hours worked weekly; supervisor function; earnings of the respondent; family income; religious denomination; attendance of religious services; union membership; party affiliation (left-right); size of household; type of community: urban-rural; ethnic affiliation of respondent and household members.</p

Measuring the Burden of Gambling Harm in New Zealand

Owned by the Ministry of Health and licensed for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence.The Ministry of Health engaged Central Queensland University’s (CQU) Experimental Gambling Research Laboratory and Auckland University of Technology’s (AUT) Gambling and Addictions Research Centre to develop a framework and a methodology for understanding and measuring gambling-related harm in the New Zealand population. The aim of the project was to systematically investigate gambling-related harm in New Zealand, and assess the aggregate ‘Burden of Harm’ caused by gambling with reference to different levels of problem gambling, and other comparable conditions. This improved understanding of the quality and quantity of harm will help to better target efforts to prevent or reduce the potential negative consequences of problematic gambling.NoNew Zealand Ministry of Healt

A tale of two countries: Comparing disability weights for gambling problems in New Zealand and Australia

Browne, M ORCiD: 0000-0002-2668-6229; Langham, EM ORCiD: 0000-0002-1824-5108; Rockloff, M ORCiD: 0000-0002-0080-2690Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact of gambling problems on quality of life. Specifically, we generated disability weight estimates for gambling problems in New Zealand, and compared these results with (i) Australian figures (J Gambl Issues, 10.4309/jgi.v0i36.3978, 2017) and (ii) other health states (Lancet, 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61680-8, 2013); such as anxiety and alcohol use disorders. Method: The 324 participants (48 experts and 276 general population members) evaluated a series of gambling harm vignettes. The participants rated the decrement to one’s quality of life using Visual Analogue Scale and Time Trade-Off protocols (Br Med Bull, 10.1093/bmb/ldq033, 2010). These evaluations enabled the calculation of disability weights for three categories of gamblers (low-risk, moderate-risk, and problem gamblers). Results: Disability weight estimates for low-risk, moderate-risk, and problem gamblers in NZ were consistently higher than the Australian weights: low (0.18 vs. 0.13), moderate (0.37 vs. 0.29), and problem (0.54 vs. 0.44). The quality of life impact for problem gambling in NZ (0.54) was comparable to that experienced in severe alcohol use disorder (0.55) (Lancet, 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61680-8, 2013). Conclusions: This study represents one of the first attempts to assess gambling-related harm through a public health perspective. The results of this study are informative for policy-making, resource allocation, and service planning. These estimates now allow for the population-level impact of gambling in NZ to be calculated and tracked over time, which is essential for informing harm-minimisation initiatives. © 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature

A tale of two countries: Comparing disability weights for gambling problems in New Zealand and Australia

Browne, M ORCiD: 0000-0002-2668-6229; Langham, EM ORCiD: 0000-0002-1824-5108; Rockloff, M ORCiD: 0000-0002-0080-2690Purpose: This study aimed to assess the impact of gambling problems on quality of life. Specifically, we generated disability weight estimates for gambling problems in New Zealand, and compared these results with (i) Australian figures (J Gambl Issues, 10.4309/jgi.v0i36.3978, 2017) and (ii) other health states (Lancet, 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61680-8, 2013); such as anxiety and alcohol use disorders. Method: The 324 participants (48 experts and 276 general population members) evaluated a series of gambling harm vignettes. The participants rated the decrement to one’s quality of life using Visual Analogue Scale and Time Trade-Off protocols (Br Med Bull, 10.1093/bmb/ldq033, 2010). These evaluations enabled the calculation of disability weights for three categories of gamblers (low-risk, moderate-risk, and problem gamblers). Results: Disability weight estimates for low-risk, moderate-risk, and problem gamblers in NZ were consistently higher than the Australian weights: low (0.18 vs. 0.13), moderate (0.37 vs. 0.29), and problem (0.54 vs. 0.44). The quality of life impact for problem gambling in NZ (0.54) was comparable to that experienced in severe alcohol use disorder (0.55) (Lancet, 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61680-8, 2013). Conclusions: This study represents one of the first attempts to assess gambling-related harm through a public health perspective. The results of this study are informative for policy-making, resource allocation, and service planning. These estimates now allow for the population-level impact of gambling in NZ to be calculated and tracked over time, which is essential for informing harm-minimisation initiatives. © 2018, Springer International Publishing AG, part of Springer Nature