Title: A social media analysis of climate-related concerns among citizens: evidence from China

Authors: Lun Meng; Zhe Wang; Yuqian Yi; Wangbing Shen; Dalei Dong

Addresses: School of Public Administration, Hohai University, No. 8 Focheng West Road, Nanjing, 210098, China; Asian Research Center, Hohai University, China ' The Confucius Museum, Qufu, China ' School of Public Administration, Hohai University, No. 8 Focheng West Road, Nanjing, 210098, China ' School of Public Administration, Hohai University, No. 8 Focheng West Road, Nanjing, 210098, China; Jiangsu Provincial Research Center for International Communication of Basin Culture, Nanjing, China; Jiangsu Research Base for Water Security and Ecological Prosperity, China ' School of Public Administration, Hohai University, No. 8 Focheng West Road, Nanjing, 210098, China

Abstract: Against the backdrop of escalating global climate change and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events, China has experienced numerous extreme weather disasters in recent years. These events have triggered widespread nationwide concern and large-scale discussions on social media. To understand the association between public online climate concerns and the reality of climate change, this study analysed a dataset of 173,635 messages on climate change discussions from Sina Weibo, one of China's biggest social media platforms and the corresponding meteorological data in 12 Chinese cities that were categorised based on the presence or absence of climate pattern shifts. Results showed that the occurrence of climate events significantly increases public concern about climate issues. Public climate concern in cities with emerging climate patterns is much higher than in cities with traditional climate patterns, suggesting that emerging extreme events heighten short-term awareness, while prolonged exposure to the same event may reduce sensitivity. Additionally, factors such as government policies and secondary disasters were found to influence public attention to climate issues. The study concludes by discussing theoretical and policy implications.

Keywords: climate change; climate-related concern; social media; climate model; China.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMC.2026.150492

International Journal of Mobile Communications, 2026 Vol.27 No.1, pp.1 - 24

Received: 26 Jul 2023
Accepted: 06 Sep 2024
Published online: 15 Dec 2025 *

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