THE RISE AND (RELATIVE) DECLINE OF GLOBAL WARMING AS A SOCIAL-PROBLEM

被引:154
作者
UNGAR, S
机构
关键词
D O I
10.1111/j.1533-8525.1992.tb00139.x
中图分类号
C91 [社会学];
学科分类号
030301 ; 1204 ;
摘要
This article extends recent work on the public arenas approach to social problems (Hilgartner and Bosk 1988) by examining changes in audience receptiveness to claims-making activities. Scientists' claims about global warming failed to attract much public attention until the extraordinary heat and drought of the "summer of '88" created a social scare. That is, environmental claims are most likely to be honored-and accelerate demands in the political arena-when they piggyback on dramatic real-world events. The dynamics of this social problem over time reveal that both demand attenuation and issue redirection processes have diminished global warming's standing as a "celebrity" social problem. Social scares hold potential importance for prospective social problems that revolve around new technologies.
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页码:483 / 501
页数:19
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