Chris Skurka
Chris Skurka is an assistant professor in the Department of Film Production and Media Studies and is a member of the Science Communication Program faculty. He is also a member of the Penn State Cancer Institute. His research centers on the effectiveness of mass-mediated efforts to promote engagement with health, science, and environmental issues. He is particularly interested in the role of emotion in how audiences respond to such media messages. Often, he studies how media messages can promote civic engagement, such as support for social policies and willingness to engage in political activism. He has studied matters related to climate change communication, anti-tobacco messaging, and communication about the social determinants of health.
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Recent Publications
Mitigating the News-Finds-Me Perception: Evaluating the intended (and unintended) effects of educational warnings on political learning
Jang, E., Liao, M., Skurka, C. & Gil de Zúñiga, H., 2026, (Accepted/In press) In: New Media and Society.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
How Forced Versus Selective Exposure Matters for the Influence of Emotional Appeals About Climate Change in a Sample of Americans
Skurka, C., Romero-Canyas, R., Joo, H. H. & Niederdeppe, J., Feb 2026, In: Science Communication. 48, 1, p. 32-58 27 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
“It Is in the Air”: Seeking and Scanning for Information About Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Among Young-Adult Men Who Have Sex with Men in the US
Skurka, C., Troy, C. L. C., Yang, Y., Smith, R. A., Tornello, S., Rosenberger, J. G., Brick, T. R. & Myrick, J. G., 2026, In: Health Communication. 41, 5, p. 850-861 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
News Finds Me as the illusion of competence: evidence for overconfidence in discernment of political misinformation
Skurka, C., Cheng, Z., Goyanes, M. & Gil de Zúñiga, H., Jan 1 2026, In: Human Communication Research. 52, 1, p. 11-23 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Posting environmental risk: Communicating with numerical and nonnumerical messaging across information modalities
Norman, M. L. P., Bao, J. A., Kurniasari, T. & Skurka, C., Jul 2025, In: Risk Analysis. 45, 7, p. 1971-1983 13 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Harnessing Anger to Persuade: The Moderating Roles of Retributive Efficacy and Prior Attitudes
Skurka, C., 2025, In: Media Psychology. 28, 2, p. 234-257 24 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Green and Good? Examining Intended and Unintended Effects of Morally Framed Climate Messages
Troy, C. L. C., Eng, N. & Skurka, C., 2025, In: Environmental Communication. 19, 2, p. 238-258 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Who is Willing to Learn About Inequality? Predictors of Choice Exposure to Messaging About Racial Disparities in Air Pollution Effects Among Black and White U.S. Residents
Troy, C. L. C., Skurka, C., Joo, H. H. & Romero-Canyas, R., 2025, In: Health Communication. 40, 9, p. 1672-1683 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Making Inroads With the Outgroup: The Interactive Effects of Point of View and Group Membership in Period Poverty Narratives
Yang, Y. & Skurka, C., Jun 20 2025, In: Journal of Public Interest Communications. 9, 1, p. 4-36 33 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Meta-Analytic Evidence That Message Fatigue is Associated With Unintended Persuasive Outcomes
Keating, D. M. & Skurka, C., 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Communication Research.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
The effects of self-disclosure and gender on a climate scientist’s credibility and likability on social media
Kim, N., Skurka, C. & Madden, S., Aug 2024, In: Public Understanding of Science. 33, 6, p. 692-708 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Leveraging Dynamic Norms to Reduce College Student Alcohol Use: A Test of Four Mediators
Reynolds-Tylus, T., Martinez Gonzalez, A. & Skurka, C., 2024, In: Health Communication. 39, 7, p. 1371-1382 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Awesome, Awful: Emotional Flow in Environmental Messaging
Skurka, C., Kim, N., Eng, N. & Oliver, M. B., 2024, In: Media Psychology. 27, 6, p. 869-894 26 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
How repeated exposure to persuasive messaging shapes message responses over time: a longitudinal experiment
Skurka, C. & Keating, D. M., Oct 1 2024, In: Human Communication Research. 50, 4, p. 518-529 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Can you picture it? Effects of positive and negative depictions of climate futures on climate action intentions
Troy, C. L. C., Norman, M., Kim, N., Skurka, C. & Myrick, J. G., Jun 2024, In: Journal of Environmental Psychology. 96, 102312.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review