Chris Skurka

Chris Skurka is an associate professor in the Department of Media Studies. He is a member of the Penn State Cancer Institute and an affiliate researcher with the Institute of Energy and the Environment. His research centers on the effectiveness of mass-mediated efforts to promote engagement with environmental, health, and science issues. He is particularly interested in the role of emotion and efficacy 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.

Dr. Skurka has received top paper awards from conferences hosted by the National Communication Association, the International Communication Association, and the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). He is a two-time recipient of the AEJMC Science, Health, Environment, and Risk Communication Article of the Year Award. His research can be found in journals such as the Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Communication Research, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Political Behavior, and Social Science & Medicine. His work has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the National Science Foundation, and the Arthur W. Page Center for Integrity in Public Communications.

Dr. Skurka teaches media effects, research methods, and science communication for Media Studies majors.

Skurka, C., & Keating, D. M. (2024). How repeated exposure to persuasive messaging shapes message responses over time: A longitudinal experiment. Human Communication Research, hqae008. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hq...

Skurka, C., Kim, N., Eng, N., & Oliver, M. B. (2023). Awesome, awful: Emotional flow in environmental messaging. Media Psychology, 1–26. https://doi.org/10.1080/152132...

Skurka, C., Liao, M., & Gil de Zúñiga, H. (2023). Tuning out (political and science) news? A selective exposure study of the news finds me perception. Communication Research, 00936502231215528. https://doi.org/10.1177/009365...

Skurka, C., Myrick, J. G., & Yang, Y. (2023). Fanning the flames or burning out? Testing competing hypotheses about repeated exposure to threatening climate change messages. Climatic Change, 176(5), 52. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584...

Skurka, C., Troy, C., Cui, Z, & Gil de Zúiñiga, H. (In press). Efficacy constructs in media use and effects: Organizing and appraising the literature. Annals of the International Communication Association. https://doi.org/10.1080/238089...

Skurka, C., Romero-Canyas, R., Joo, H., & Niederdeppe, J. (2022). Choose your own emotion: Predictors of young adults’ selective exposure to emotion-inducing climate messages. Environmental Communication, 16(3), 424-431. https://doi.org/10.1080/175240...

Skurka, C., Eng, N., & Oliver, M. B. (2022). On the effects and boundaries of awe and humor appeals for pro-environmental engagement. International Journal of Communication, 16, 1-21. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijo...

Skurka, C., Romero-Canyas, R., Joo, H., Acup. D., & Niederdeppe, J. (In press). Emotional appeals, climate change, and young adults: A direct replication of Skurka et al. (2018). Human Communication Research, 48(1), 147-156. https://doi.org/10.1093/hcr/hqab013

Skurka, C., Wheldon, C. W., & Eng, N. (2021). Targeted truth: An experiment testing the efficacy of counterindustry tobacco advertisements targeted to Black individuals and sexual and gender minority individuals. Nicotine & Tobacco Research. https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/ntab032

Skurka, C., Reynolds-Tylus, T., Quick, B., & Hartman, D. (2021). What’s at stake: Evaluating a Run-Hide-Fight® intervention video through the lens of vested interest theory. Journal of Health Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2021.1885084

Skurka, C. (2021). Will it teach them a lesson? Validating a measure of retributive efficacy in social issue activism. Political Behavior, 23(9), 1542–1550. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11109-020-09665-8

Skurka, C., Niederdeppe, J., & Winett, L. (2020). There’s more to the story: Both individual and collective policy narratives can increase support for community-level action. International Journal of Communication, 40, 4160-4179. https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/14537

Skurka, C., Winett, L., Jarman-Miller, H, & Niederdeppe, J. (2020). All things being equal: Distinguishing proportionality and equity in moral reasoning. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 11(3), 374-387. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550619862261

Skurka, C., Niederdeppe, J., & Nabi, R. (2019). Kimmel on climate: Disentangling the emotional ingredients of a satirical monologue. Science Communication, 41(4), 394-421. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547019853837

Skurka, C. (2018). You mad? Using anger appeals to promote activism intentions and policy support in the context of sugary drink marketing to kids. Health Communication, 34(14), 1775-1787. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2018.1536943

Skurka, C., Niederdeppe, J., Romero-Canyas, R., & Acup, D. (2018). Pathways of influence in emotional appeals: Benefits and tradeoffs of using fear or humor to promote climate change-related intentions and risk perceptions. Journal of Communication, 68, 169-193. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqx008

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• The movie that inspired a thousand crying selfies
• Doom-and-gloom climate news may scare but also encourage audiences
• Bellisario College honors faculty, staff with Deans’ Excellence Awards
• PODCAST: Emotions and media messages
• A little humour may help with climate change gloom
• Targeted antitobacco ads may not be as effective as ads for all audiences