BETWEEN SILENCE AND DENIAL:

PUBLIC AND PUBLIC OPINION IN CLIMATE CRISIS

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5902/2175497793392

Keywords:

Public, Denialism, Climate crisis, Public opinion

Abstract

Drawing on theories about publics, we seek to understand how certain groups adopt and publicly express denialist attitudes, influencing the formation of public opinion. We explore denial not only as a collective mechanism in which certain audiences deliberately avoid and remain silent about evidence that has been deliberately examined. We also address other forms of active public expression, such as disregard and disengagement. The study uses an exploratory approach, based on bibliographic and documentary research, to examine public`s denialist manifestations, taking issues related to climate change as an exemplary case. To understand these characteristics, it is essential to consider the complex interactions that shape social dynamics.

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Author Biographies

Laura Nayara Pimenta, Universidade Federal de Alagoas

Laura Nayara Pimenta holds a PhD in Communication and Sociability from the Graduate Program in Communication at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG) and a master's degree from the same institution. She is currently an Adjunct Professor of Public Relations at the Federal University of Alagoas and is the deputy leader of Baleia – the Laboratory for Studies in Communication, Organizations, and Narratives of Capitalism. She is also a member of the IPÊ (Research Group on Institutions, Publics, and Collective Experiences) group at UFMG, coordinated by Professor Dr. Daniel Reis Silva, and DIALORG (Research Group on Communication in the Organizational Context) at PUC Minas Gerais, coordinated by Professor Dr. Ivone de Lourdes Oliveira. He was a member of MOBILIZA - Research Group on Communication, Social Mobilization and Public Opinion, at UFMG, coordinated by Professor Dr. Márcio Simeone Henriques, from 2013 to 2021. He has research interests in the areas of public communication, social mobilization, public opinion, audiences and interactions.

Márcio Simeone Henriques, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

PhD in Social Communication from the Federal University of Minas Gerais, with a Post-Doctorate from the Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal (Capes). Master's in Education from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Bachelor's in Social Communication (Public Relations) from the Federal University of Minas Gerais. Associate Professor in the Department of Social Communication at the Federal University of Minas Gerais, faculty member of the Graduate Program in Social Communication, as a collaborator, in the Communication, Territorialities and Vulnerabilities line. Works in the area of ​​Public Relations and Communication Planning, with the following research themes: communicative processes of formation and delivery of audiences, public opinion and influence processes, and audiences in organizational communication. Deputy Leader of the Research Group on Institutions, Audiences and Collective Experiences - IPÊ. Associate Researcher and Deputy Leader of the Research Group on Communication in the Organizational Context: Theoretical-Conceptual Aspects - Dialorg (PUCMINAS). Member of the Network of Studies in Communication, Organizations and Publics from the Perspective of Complexity (Holograms).

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Published

2025-12-18

How to Cite

Pimenta, L. N., & Simeone Henriques, M. (2025). BETWEEN SILENCE AND DENIAL:: PUBLIC AND PUBLIC OPINION IN CLIMATE CRISIS. Animus.Inter-American Journal of Media Communication, 24(52), e024017. https://doi.org/10.5902/2175497793392

Issue

Vol. 24 No. 52 (2025): Publicação Contínua

Section

Dossiê – Comunicação e eventos climáticos: governança, proximidade e resiliência

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