Presentation description

This project examines how climate concern, human exceptionalism (HE), and theistic stewardship (TS) worldviews influence visitor engagement with climate messaging in the A Climate of Hope exhibit at the Natural History Museum of Utah. Anthropogenic climate change poses surging risks to both human and ecological systems, making public understanding and engagement critical for driving collective action and policy. Museums, as trusted informal science learning (ISL) environments, are uniquely positioned to communicate these complex and often polarized topics in accessible ways (Hamilton & Christian Ronning, 2020). However, little is known about how intuitive and cultural worldviews shape visitors' uptake of climate learning in such settings. Using the uptake of predefined exhibit frames (e.g., hope, community) as indicators of learning (Zummo et al., 2025), this study investigates whether these worldviews facilitate or hinder engagement. Prior research suggests that HE - belief in human separation from nature - often suppresses pro-environmental attitudes (Betz & Coley, 2022), whereas TS - belief in a divine duty to protect the Earth - can foster engagement even in secularizing populations (Eom & Ng, 2023). Climate concern also varies widely, and the Six Americas Super Short Survey (SASSY) allows researchers to segment diverse audiences along an Dismissive-to-Alarmed spectrum (Chryst et al., 2018). This research addresses a key gap by testing whether HE, TS, and climate concern independently predict frame uptake, and how controlling for climate concern alters these effects. Findings will help museums design climate education strategies that bridge ideological divides and mobilize diverse audiences toward constructive climate action.