Optimism and pessimism in conservation communication: Role and application in Hungary
Abstract
It is a basic dilemma in conservation communication whether optimistic or pessimistic messages have a stronger impact on people. However, data from Hungary related to this problem are scarce. In our study, we applied two approaches to examine the issue. We formulated the same conservation article with both a positive and a negative tone, then we shared both on social media and followed their impacts. On the other hand, we analyzed a database of optimistic and pessimistic news from two news portals. While based on the variously formulated new pieces and the data from Greenfo’s pages, pessimistic messages seem to be more successful, positive messages were more efficient according to the data of the Hungarian pages of National Geographic. Our results show that positivity or negativity of tone alone does not guarantee effective communication. It seems necessary to create a balance between optimistic and pessimistic messages, according to the demands of the target groups.
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