A 2017 National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists: Initial Findings

The 2017 survey of US broadcast meteorologists reveals a high consensus that climate change is occurring (95%), though views on its causes and the potential to avert future harm vary. While most weathercasters feel confident in their ability to report on climate change and believe their audiences are interested, many rely on social media and community events rather than on-air segments to share local impacts. The report also highlights the influence of news consultants on weather segments and the utility of the Climate Matters educational resource.

• There is a strong consensus among broadcast meteorologists that climate change is occurring, with 95% stating it is happening, though they are divided on the cause: 49% attribute it mostly or entirely to human activity, while 21% believe it is primarily or entirely due to natural events.
• Weathercasters hold diverse views on the efficacy of mitigation and adaptation: only 17% believe a large amount or all additional climate change can be averted through worldwide mitigation, and 19% believe a large amount or all harm can be averted in the US through adaptation.
• Regarding local impacts, 62% of weathercasters believe their local climate has changed in the past 50 years. Among those, the most cited harmful impacts are harm to agriculture (50%), seasonal cycles (48%), and water resources (47%), while the most common benefit is milder seasons or more pleasant weather (42%).
• While 72% of weathercasters feel at least "somewhat confident" in reporting climate change, they often use non-broadcast channels to inform the community about local impacts; the most common channels are personal social media (49%), school visits (41%), and community events (39%), with on-air reporting following at 36%.
• News consultants influence weather segments for 60% of weathercasters, primarily advising on presenting local weather impacts (92%) and using audience engagement tactics (90%), but rarely provide guidance on climate change reporting (only 3% were advised to discuss it and 3% advised not to).
• The Climate Matters resource is used by 80% of the weathercasters who receive its materials. Users find the graphics very easy to use for social media (65%) and on-air (40%), and 91% of users are interested in online webinars about climate science and impacts.

APA

Maibach, E., Perkins, D., Timm, K., Myers, T., Placky, B. W., Sublette, S., Engblom, A., & Seitter, K. (2017). A 2017 National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists: Initial Findings. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2017WeathercasterSurveyReport.pdf

Chicago

Maibach, Edward, David Perkins, Kristin Timm, Teresa Myers, Bernadette Woods Placky, Sean Sublette, Allison Engblom, and Keith Seitter. A 2017 National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists: Initial Findings. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2017. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2017WeathercasterSurveyReport.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Maibach |first1=Edward |last2=Perkins |first2=David |last3=Timm |first3=Kristin |last4=Myers |first4=Teresa |last5=Placky |first5=Bernadette Woods |last6=Sublette |first6=Sean |last7=Engblom |first7=Allison |last8=Seitter |first8=Keith |title=A 2017 National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists: Initial Findings |publisher=Center for Climate Change Communication |date=February 2017 |url=https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2017WeathercasterSurveyReport.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{maibach20172017, author = {Maibach, Edward and Perkins, David and Timm, Kristin and Myers, Teresa and Placky, Bernadette Woods and Sublette, Sean and Engblom, Allison and Seitter, Keith}, title = {{A 2017 National Survey of Broadcast Meteorologists: Initial Findings}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/2017WeathercasterSurveyReport.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }