Who Sets the Agenda for Climate Change in China? A Longitudinal Analysis of Primary Actors that Drive Online Discussions on Social Media

Multiple actors may harness social media to promote their own stances and influence others on climate change. Our investigation focused on second-level agenda-setting, determining which actors drove climate change conversations by attracting public attention to various topics. We examined the primary topics and actors involved in climate change discussions on Weibo (N = 1,090,420 posts) from 2010 to 2020. Our findings indicate that most discussions centered around environmental impact rather than culture, politics and government, or action advocacy. Celebrities, ordinary users, and civil society organizations were found to be influential for many topics, challenging the notion that governments and media lead the online climate change discourse. This study contributes to a deeper understanding of second-level agenda-setting in the digital age and highlights the importance of leveraging different social actors, especially celebrities, in China to achieve global climate change mitigation goals.