MEDIA CONTACT: Saskia Randle, srandle@climatemuseum.org 

New Research Highlights Vital Role Museums Play In Communicating About Climate Change

[New York, NY] – (February 20, 2025) A new peer-reviewed study in PLOS Climate highlights the crucial role museums play in raising awareness and fostering conversations about climate change.

Conducted by the Center for Climate Change Communication at George Mason University, the study examines the Climate Museum, a New York City-based non-profit and the first museum in the U.S. dedicated to climate change. The findings reveal that visitors – roughly 80% of whom were alarmed about climate change – left the museum with increased confidence in discussing climate change, more hope for a better future, and a stronger determination to engage in conversations about climate change.

“As the country’s first museum devoted entirely to climate change, we are deeply committed to offering visitors a culturally-enriching experience that educates, sparks critical thinking, and inspires action,” said Miranda Massie, Founder and Director of the Climate Museum. “These findings come at a crucial moment in our nation’s history when building public support for climate action is more important and urgent than ever.”

The study, conducted from October 2023 through April 2024, utilized online surveys and qualitative interviews to assess visitors’ climate-related beliefs and behaviors upon entry to the museum and after leaving. In addition to becoming more determined and confident in speaking about climate change, visitors also gained a deeper understanding of, and a stronger willingness to share, three key themes with others: 

• the intersection of climate change and social inequality, 

• the history of deception by the fossil fuel industry, and 

• the majoritarian character of concern about climate change and support for climate action at scale. 

“Our new study results suggest climate focused museums – and by extension the cultural sector – have an important role to play engaging people on climate change,” said Dr. Nicholas Badullovich, the study’s lead author. “We found that after visiting the Climate Museum, visitors had greater levels of hope climate change can be addressed, as well as greater intentions to speak with others about climate change. We also found that visitors left the museum with more accurate perceptions of what others think about climate – social norms like this can be powerful influences on how people act with respect to climate change.”

These findings follow the Climate Museum’s recent announcement of its new permanent location at 418 11th Avenue in Hudson Yards. As part of a partnership with The Moinian Group, Boston Properties (BXP), and BRP Companies, the Museum will be given 24,000 square feet of space to offer New Yorkers access to year-round climate and cultural programming.

The full research study can be found here.

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About The Climate Museum
The Climate Museum is the first museum in the United States dedicated to climate change. The Museum mobilizes the power of arts and cultural programming to invite visitors into climate engagement and agency and to transform our public culture for action at scale. The Museum offers free, interdisciplinary, participatory programs that connect constituents to a culture for climate action with a focus on justice, including exhibitions and installations, pop-ups, youth programs, interactive dialogue events, performances, workshops, and more.