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
Posting environmental risk: Communicating with numerical and nonnumerical messaging across information modalities
Norman, M. L. P., Bao, J. A., Kurniasari, T. & Skurka, C., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Risk Analysis.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
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., 2024, (Accepted/In press) In: Health Communication.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Inoculating Black/African American and LGBTQ Communities Against the Tobacco Industry: The Role of Community Connectedness and Tobacco Denormalization Beliefs
Wheldon, C. W., Skurka, C. & Eng, N., May 2024, In: Health promotion practice. 25, 3, p. 445-454 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Understanding Fake News Corrective Action: A Mixed-Method Approach
De Zúñiga, H. G., Goyanes, M. & Skurka, C., 2023, In: International Journal of Communication. 17, p. 3428-3450 23 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Fanning the flames or burning out? Testing competing hypotheses about repeated exposure to threatening climate change messages
Skurka, C., Myrick, J. G. & Yang, Y., May 2023, In: Climatic Change. 176, 5, 52.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Seeing the funny side: Humor in pro-environmental communication
Skurka, C. & Lee Cunningham, J. J., Oct 2023, In: Current Opinion in Psychology. 53, 101668.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
Tuning Out (Political and Science) News? A Selective Exposure Study of the News Finds Me Perception
Skurka, C., Liao, M. & Gil de Zúñiga, H., 2023, (Accepted/In press) In: Communication Research.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Being outdoorsy indoors: Nature connectedness through 360-degree images and video
Troy, C. L. C. & Skurka, C., 2023, In: Journal of Environmental Media. 4, 1, p. 27-47 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Young Adults’ Willingness to Engage in Climate Change Activism: An Application of the Theory of Normative Social Behavior
Gonzalez, A. M., Reynolds-Tylus, T. & Skurka, C., 2022, In: Environmental Communication. 16, 3, p. 388-407 20 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review