A large portion of my work has focused on the role of efficacy perceptions in environmental communication. In this area, I have primarily investigated how distinguishing the different types of efficacy constructs can improve our understanding of the role of efficacy in climate change communication.
Published Work:
Choi, S., & Hart, P. S. (2021). The influence of different efficacy constructs on energy conservation intentions and climate change policy support. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 75, 1016-18. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101618
Choi, S., & Hart, P. S. (2025). The influence of partisan news on climate mitigation support: An investigation into the mediating role of perceived risk and efficacy. Risk Analysis, 45(5), 1167-1185, DOI: 10.1111/risa.17659
Works in Progress:
Choi, S. Measuring climate change efficacy: Validating a multi-construct efficacy scale. (manuscript in preparation).
My most recent research interests revolve around thinking about how to communicate topics related to climate justice. I consider how the disproportionate impacts of climate change on socially vulnerable populations could be effectively communicated, so that it increases support for the impacted communities and does not inadvertently increase the perceived social and spatial distance of climate impacts among those who do not identify themselves with the community.
Published Work:
Hart, P. S., Feldman, L., Choi, S., & Zhang, A. (forthcoming). Unequal risks, unequal responses: Differential effects of emphasizing race vs. class disparities in news stories about climate impacts. Science Communication.
Works in Progress:
Choi, S., & Strydhorst, N. Communicating generative AI and its energy foot prints: Effects of emphasis and equity frames. (manuscript in preparation)
Feldman, L., Hart, P. S., Zhang, A., & Choi, S. Explaining climate disparities: Can providing systemic casual explanations help? (manuscript in preparation).
I am also interested in understanding how using different images and photographs to represent climate change impacts how people process and perceive the topic. I am particularly interested in how visual images of climate change can increase or decrease people's perceptions of efficacy related to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Published Work:
Hart, P. S., Feldman, L., Choi, S., Zhang, A., & Hegland, A. (2023). The influence of flooding imagery and party cues on perceived threat, collective efficacy, and intentions for political actions to address climate change. Science Communication, 45(5), 627-664. DOI: 10.1177/10755470231199972
Works in Progress:
Choi, S. How Do People React to Climate Images? An Examination of a Modified Model of Fear Control (manuscript in preparation).
I also examine public opinions regarding emerging technology and especially their impacts on the environment. Understanding public opinions is valuable, especially when it comes to the environmental impacts of emerging technology, as it is an important component in policy decisions, change, and implementation, as well as one that helps identify societal concerns and potential misconceptions.
Published Work:
Wolske, K., Raimi, K., Hart, S., & Choi, S. (2024). Public perceptions on carbon capture and utilization. Sustainable Production and Consumption.
Works in Progress:
Choi, S., & Strydhorst, N. Communicating generative AI and its energy foot prints: Effects of emphasis and equity frames. (manuscript in preparation).
I have engaged in additional miscellaneous topics broadly related to science, risk, and environmental communication such as: scientists' perceptions of public engagement, the landscape of climate advocacy frames on social media, the effects of different benefit frames on people's intentions to reconstruct dietary habits, and how sensitivity to disgust can predict climate change risk perceptions.
Published Work:
Hart, P. S., Feldman, L., Choi, S., Chinn, S., & Hiaeshutter-Rice, D. (2025). Climate change advocacy and engagement on social media. Science Communication, 47(3), 385-412. DOI: 10.1177/10755470241284934
Choi, S., Soroka, S., & Ploger, G. (forthcoming). How self-reported and physiologically measured disgust sensitivity predicts climate change risk perceptions. Journal of Science Communication.
Works in Progress:
Choi, S., & Hart, P. S. Framing plant-based food: The influence of different benefit appeals and positive sentiment. (under review)
Lopez, A., Renner, J., Strydhorst, N., Choi, S., Cate, A., Scheufele, D., & Brossard, D. How Scientists understand public engagement: Insights from a biomedical institute. (manuscript in preparation).