Politicians’ perspectives and media preferences regarding carbon neutrality policies: A comparative study in Malaysia and China

Media coverage of the climate crisis plays a key role in driving climate action. While most surveys related to climate change and its ramifications primarily assess public opinion at a collective level, this study targets politicians as the most influential segment of a population. The study examined politicians’ perspectives on two aspects: (a) which policies are likely to be prioritised in their respective countries to achieve carbon neutrality, and (b) which media is the most preferred for promoting these policies. The scope is narrowed to two countries: Malaysia, a leading developing country, and China, a leading industrial country. Through an online survey targeting 40 politicians from each country, our findings reveal a consensus on afforestation and CO2 capturing technologies as primary pathways towards carbon neutrality. However, while Malaysian politicians prioritise solar energy as the second- best option, their Chinese counterparts favour investing in public transportation alongside solar energy. Politicians consider social media the most suitable for promoting these policies, followed by chat applications in Malaysia, as well as television and online news portals in China. Our findings indicate that in promoting carbon policies, our respondents show a preference for media they perceive as news sources.