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
Leveraging Dynamic Norms to Reduce College Student Alcohol Use: A Test of Four Mediators
Reynolds-Tylus, T., Martinez Gonzalez, A. & Skurka, C., 2023, (Accepted/In press) In: Health Communication.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
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., 2023, (Accepted/In press) In: Health promotion practice.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
Youth and Young Adult-targeted E-cigarette Warnings and Advertising Messages: An Experiment with Young Adults in the US
Kalaji, M., Mathios, A. D., Skurka, C., Niederdeppe, J. & Byrne, S., 2022, In: Journal of Health Communication. 27, 8, p. 574-584 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Choose Your Own Emotion: Predictors of Selective Exposure to Emotion-Inducing Climate Messages
Skurka, C., Romero-Canyas, R., Joo, H. H. & Niederdeppe, J., 2022, In: Environmental Communication. 16, 3, p. 424-431 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Efficacy constructs in media use and effects: organizing and appraising the literature
Skurka, C., Troy, C., Cui, Z. & Gil de Zúñiga, H., 2022, (Accepted/In press) In: Annals of the International Communication Association.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Emotional Appeals, Climate Change, and Young Adults: A Direct Replication of Skurka et al. (2018)
Skurka, C., Romero-Canyas, R., Joo, H. H., Acup, D. & Niederdeppe, J., Jan 1 2022, In: Human Communication Research. 48, 1, p. 147-156 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Message fatigue and resistance to anti–binge drinking messages: Examining the mediating roles of inattention and reactance
Gonzalez, A. M., Reynolds-Tylus, T., Quick, B. L. & Skurka, C., Jul 2021, In: Journal of studies on alcohol and drugs. 82, 4, p. 503-510 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Should Graphic Warning Labels Proposed for Cigarette Packages Sold in the United States Mention the Food and Drug Administration?
Jovanova, M., Skurka, C., Byrne, S., Kalaji, M., Greiner Safi, A., Porticella, N., Mathios, A. D., Avery, R. J., Dorf, M. C. & Niederdeppe, J., Jan 22 2021, In: Nicotine & tobacco research : official journal of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. 23, 2, p. 402-406 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
When Home is Not Safe: Media Coverage and Issue Salience of Child Maltreatment during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Madden, S., Guastaferro, K., Skurka, C. & Myrick, J. G., 2021, In: Howard Journal of Communications. 32, 5, p. 474-492 19 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Estimated televised alcohol advertising exposure in the past year and associations with past 30-day drinking behavior among American adults: results from a secondary analysis of large-scale advertising and survey data
Niederdeppe, J., Avery, R. J., Tabor, E., Lee, N. W., Welch, B. & Skurka, C., Feb 2021, In: Addiction. 116, 2, p. 280-289 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Targeted Truth: An Experiment Testing the Efficacy of Counterindustry Tobacco Advertisements Targeted to Black Individuals and Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals
Skurka, C., Wheldon, C. W. & Eng, N., Sep 1 2021, In: Nicotine and Tobacco Research. 23, 9, p. 1542-1550 9 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
What’s at Stake: Evaluating a Run-Hide-Fight® Intervention Video through the Lens of Vested Interest Theory
Skurka, C., Reynolds-Tylus, T., Quick, B. & Hartman, D., 2021, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Health Communication. 25, 12, p. 982-989 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review