Norden, Emma (2026) The Ofcom Effect: how media framing and information access shape flood risk perception and preparedness among UK residents. Bachelor thesis, Global Responsibility & Leadership (GRL).
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Abstract
In the UK, climate projections indicate a severe escalation in flood risks, however, public risk perception differs across the population while household preparedness is low. Simultaneously, the formats in which information is consumed has evolved. Younger demographics increasingly rely on social media platforms for news, whereas older generations remain more loyal to traditional broadcast television. This study investigates the resulting differences in risk perception and preparedness - their threat and coping appraisals - by comparing the more regulated, sanitised framing of broadcast news against the underregulated footage of social media. Using a qualitative approach, ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with five members of Generation Z (social media reliant) and five members of Generation X (broadcast reliant), with the data evaluated using thematic analysis. The findings reveal that Generation X exhibits higher cognitive detachment and an externalised reliance on institutions. Contrastingly, Generation Z experiences more high-arousal panic when consuming less censored footage of hazardous events, but practical barriers making them feel unable to protect themselves create a sense of climate fatalism. Ultimately, both forms of media consumption result in a preparedness action-gap. To build public resilience, risk communication must evolve.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Bachelor) |
|---|---|
| Name supervisor: | Yousefzadeh Faal Daghati, S. |
| Date Deposited: | 10 Jun 2026 10:25 |
| Last Modified: | 10 Jun 2026 10:25 |
| URI: | https://campus-fryslan.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/791 |
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