EXPERIENCE

My work combines approaches from social, environmental, and positive health psychology. I have over 10 years of experience in academia, including Yale University and Chapman University. I am currently a tenure-track Assistant Professor at Pierce College (Puyallup, WA) teaching courses in general psychology and lifespan development. Ultimately, my goal as an educator is to help people connect with themselves, other people, and the environments they live in. These connections are crucial in the path toward healing and wellness. For detailed information about my work experiences, you can view my Curriculum Vitae here.

PUBLICATIONS

Ballew, M. T., Uppalapati, S. S., Myers, T., Carman, J., Campbell, E., Rosenthal, S. A., Kotcher, J. E., Leiserowitz, A., & Maibach, E. (2024). Climate change psychological distress is associated with increased collective climate action in the U.S. npj Climate Action, 3, 88. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44168-024-00172-8

Ballew, M. T., Thomas-Walters, L., Goldberg, M. H., Verner, M., Lu, J., Marshall, J., Rosenthal, S. A, & Leiserowitz, A. (2025). Climate change messages can promote support for climate action globally. Global Environmental Change, 90, 102951.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2024.102951

Ballew, M. T., Uppalapati, S. S., Myers, T., Carman, J., Campbell, E., Rosenthal, S. A., Kotcher, J. E., Leiserowitz, A., & Maibach, E. (2024). Climate change psychological distress is associated with increased collective climate action in the U.S. npj Climate Action, 3, 88. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44168-024-00172-8

Ayers, M., Marlon, J. R., Ballew, M. T., Maibach, E. W., Rosenthal, S. A., Roser-Renouf, C., Leiserowitz, A. (2024). Changes in Global Warming’s Six Americas: an analysis of repeat respondents. Climatic Change, 177. doi: 10.1007/s10584-024-03754-x

Carman, J. P., Psaros, M., Rosenthal, S. A., Marlon, J., Verner, M., Lee, S., Lu, D., Goldberg, M. H., Ballew, M. T., & Leiserowitz, A. (2024). Geeks versus climate change: Understanding American video gamers’ engagement with global warming. Climatic Change, 177, 85. doi: 10.1007/s10584-024-03747-w

Ballew M. T., Marlon, J. R., Goldberg, M. H., Maibach, E. W., Rosenthal, S. A., Aiken, E., & Leiserowitz, A. (2022). Changing minds about global warming: Vicarious experience predicts self-reported opinion change in the USA. Climatic Change. doi: 10.1007/s10584-022-03397-w

Ballew, M. T., Pearson, A. R., Schuldt, J. P., Kotcher, J. E., Maibach, E. W., Rosenthal, A., & Leiserowitz, A. (2021). Is the political divide on climate change narrower for people of color? Evidence from a decade of US polling. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 77, 101680. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101680

Sabherwal, A., Ballew, M. T., van der Linden, S., Gustafson, A., Goldberg, M. H., Maibach, E. W., Kotcher, J. E., Swim, J. K., Rosenthal, S. A., & Leiserowitz, A. (2021). The Greta Thunberg effect: Familiarity with Greta Thunberg predicts intentions to engage in climate activism in the United States. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. doi: 10.1111/jasp.12737

Ballew, M. T., Pearson, A. R., Goldberg, M. H., Rosenthal, S. A., & Leiserowitz, A. (2020). Does socioeconomic status moderate the political divide on climate change? The roles of education, income, and individualism. Global Environmental Change, 60, 102024. doi: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.102024

Ballew, M. T., Rosenthal, S. A., Goldberg, M. H., Gustafson, A., Kotcher, J. K., Maibach, E. W., & Leiserowitz, A. (2020). Beliefs about others’ global warming beliefs: The role of party affiliation and opinion deviance. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 70, 101466. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101466

Goldberg, M. H., Gustafson, A., Ballew, M. T., Rosenthal, S. A., Cutler, M. J., & Leiserowitz, A. (2020). Predictors of global warming risk perceptions among Latino and non-Latino White Americans. Climatic Change, 1-20. doi: 10.1007/s10584-020-02728-z

Goldberg, M., Gustafson, A., Maibach, E., Ballew, M. T., Bergquist, P., Kotcher, J., … & Leiserowitz, A. (2020). Mask-wearing increases after a government recommendation: A natural experiment in the US during the COVID-19 pandemic. Frontiers in Communication. doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2020.00044

Gustafson, A., Ballew, M. T., Goldberg, M. H., Cutler, M. J., Rosenthal, S. A., & Leiserowitz, A. (2020). Personal stories can shift climate change beliefs and risk perceptions: The mediating role of emotion. Communication Reports, 1-15. doi: 10.1080/08934215.2020.1799049

Gustafson, A., Goldberg, M. H., Kotcher, J. E., Rosenthal, S. A., Maibach, E. W., Ballew, M. T., & Leiserowitz, A. (2020). Republicans and Democrats differ in why they support renewable energy. Energy Policy, 141. doi: 10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111448

Schneider-Mayerson, M., Gustafson, A., Leiserowitz, A., Goldberg, M. H., Rosenthal, S. A., & Ballew, M. (2020) Environmental literature as persuasion: An experimental test of the effects of reading climate fiction, Environmental Communication. doi: 10.1080/17524032.2020.1814377

Song, H., Lewis Jr, N. A., Ballew, M. T., Bravo, M., Davydova, J., Gao, H. O., … & Romero-Canyas, R. (2020). What counts as an “environmental” issue? Differences in issue conceptualization by race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 101404. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101404

Ballew, M. T., Goldberg, M. H., Rosenthal, S. A., Gustafson, A., & Leiserowitz, A. (2019). Systems thinking as a pathway to global warming beliefs and attitudes through an ecological worldview. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1819310116

Ballew, M. T., Goldberg, M. H., Rosenthal, S. A., Cutler, M. J., & Leiserowitz, A. (2019). Climate change activism among Latino and White Americans. Frontiers in Communication, 3. doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2018.00058

Ballew, M. T., Leiserowitz, A., Roser-Renouf, C., Rosenthal, S. A., Kotcher, J. E., Marlon, J. R., Lyon, E., Goldberg, M. H., & Maibach, E. W. (2019). Climate Change in the American Mind: Data, tools, and trends. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 61, 4-18. doi: 10.1080/00139157.2019.1589300

Goldberg, M. H., Gustafson, A., Ballew, M. T., Rosenthal, S. A., & Leiserowitz, A. (2019). A social identity approach to engaging Christians in the issue of climate change. Science Communication, 1-22. doi: 10.1177/1075547019860847.

Goldberg, M. H., van der Linden, S., Ballew, M. T., Rosenthal, S. A., & Leiserowitz, A. (2019). The role of anchoring in judgments about expert consensus. Journal of Applied Social Psychology. doi: 10.1111/jasp.12576.

Gustafson, A., Rosenthal, S. A., Ballew, M. T., Goldberg, M. H., Bergquist, P., Kotcher, J. E., Maibach, E. W., & Leiserowitz, A. (2019). The development of partisan polarization over the Green New Deal. Nature Climate Change. doi: 10.1038/s41558-019-0621-7

Pearson, A. R., & Ballew, M. T. (2019). Conservation and the environment. In. M. A. Hogg (Ed.), Oxford research encyclopedia of psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190236557.013.289

Ballew, M. T., & Omoto, A. M. (2018). Absorption: How nature experiences promote awe and other positive emotions. Ecopsychology, 10, 26-35. doi: 10.1089/eco.2017.0044

Bruni, C. M., Ballew, M. T., Winter, P. L., & Omoto, A. M. (2018). Natural history museums may enhance youth’s implicit connectedness with nature. Ecopsychology, 10, 1-9. doi: 10.1089/eco.2018.0025

Davydova, J., Pearson, A. R., Ballew, M. T., & Schuldt, J. P. (2018). Illuminating the link between perceived threat and control over climate change: The role of attributions for causation and mitigation. Climatic Change, 1-15. doi: 10.1007/s10584-018-2181-7

Pearson, A. R., Schuldt, J. P., Romero-Canyas, R., Ballew, M. T., & Larson-Konar, D. (2018). Diverse segments of the US public underestimate the environmental concerns of minority and low-income Americans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 1-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1804698115

Omoto, A. M., Packard, C. D., & Ballew, M. T. (2018). Personality and volunteerism. In B. J. Carducci, J. S. Mio, & R. E. Riggio (Eds.), The Wiley-Blackwell encyclopedia of personality and individual differences: Vol. IV. Clinical, applied, and cross-cultural research.  Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

Pearson, A. R., Ballew, M. T., Naiman, S., & Schuldt, J. P. (2017). Race, class, and gender and climate change communication. In M. C. Nisbet & E. Markowitz (Eds.), The Oxford encyclopedia of climate change communication. New York: Oxford University Press. doi: 10.1093/acrefore/9780190228620.013.412

Ballew, M. T., Omoto, A. M., & Winter, P. L. (2015). Using Web 2.0 and social media technologies to foster proenvironmental action. Sustainability, 7, 10620-10648. doi: 10.3390/su70810620

RESEARCH NOTES & REPORTS

Ballew, M., Marlon, J., Goddard, E., Carman, J., Verner, M., Rosenthal, S., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., & Leiserowitz, A. (2024). Public understanding of climate change has grown in the U.S. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Verner, M., Carman, J., Myers, T., Rosenthal, S., Kotcher, J., Maibach, E., & Leiserowitz, A. (2024). What do Americans want to know about climate change? Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Carman, J., Rosenthal, S., Verner, M., Kotcher, J., Maibach, E., & Leiserowitz, A. (2023). Which Republicans are worried about global warming? Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Goldberg, M., Verner, M., Rosenthal, S., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., & Leiserowitz, A. (2023). Who is most likely to talk about climate change? Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Marlon, J., Harrington, S., Rosenthal, S., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., & Leiserowitz, A. (2023). Does climate change make you sneeze? Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Verner, M., Carman, J., Rosenthal, S., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., & Leiserowitz, A. (2023). Global Warming’s Six Americas across age, race/ethnicity, and gender. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Verner, M., Rosenthal, S., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., & Leiserowitz, A. (2023). Who is most supportive of the Inflation Reduction Act? Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Carman, J., Ballew, M., Verner, M., Lu, D., Low, J., Rosenthal, S., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., Marlon, J., and Leiserowitz, A. (2023). Who supports climate justice in the U.S.? Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Marlon, J., Rosenthal, S., Goldberg, M., Ballew, M., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., Leiserowitz, A. (2022). Younger Americans are growing more worried about global warming. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Bergquist, P., Goldberg, M., Gustafson, A., Kotcher, J., Marlon, J., Roess, A., Rosenthal, S., Maibach, E., & Leiserowitz, A. (2020). American Public Responses to COVID-19, April 2020. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Bergquist, P., Goldberg, M., Gustafson, A., Kotcher, J., Marlon, J., Roess, A., Rosenthal, S., Maibach, E., & Leiserowitz, A. (2020). Americans’ Risk Perceptions and Emotional Responses to COVID-19, April 2020. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., Bergquist, P., Rosenthal, S., Marlon, J., and Leiserowitz, A. (2020). Which racial/ethnic groups care most about climate change?. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Marlon, J., Kotcher, J., Maibach, E., Rosenthal, S., Bergquist, P., Gustafson, A., Goldberg, M., & Leiserowitz, A. (2020). Young adults, across party lines, are more willing to take climate action. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Leiserowitz, A., Ballew, M., Rosenthal S., & Semaan, J. (2020). Climate change and the American diet. Yale University and Earth Day Network. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Gustafson, A., Bergquist, P., Goldberg, M., Rosenthal, S., Kotcher, J., Maibach, E., & Leiserowitz, A. (2019). Americans underestimate how many others in the U.S. think global warming is happening. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Marlon, J., Rosenthal, S., Gustafson, A., Kotcher, J., Maibach, E., & Leiserowitz, A. (2019). Do younger generations care more about global warming? Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Marlon, J., Wang, X., Gustafson, A., Ballew, M., Goldberg, M., Rosenthal, S., Leiserowitz, A. (2019) Majority of Americans think fossil fuel companies are responsible for the damages caused by global warming. Yale University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. Available here.

Ballew, M. T., & Crohn, K. (2018). Understanding emotions and behavior: Implications for evaluation design. AEA365: A Tip-a-Day by and for Evaluators. Available here.

Ballew, M., Marlon, J., Leiserowitz, A., & Maibach, E. (2018). Gender differences in public understanding of climate change. Yale University, New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Marlon, J., Wang, X., Leiserowitz, A., & Maibach, E. (2018). Importance of global warming as a voting issue in the U.S. depends on where people live and what people have experienced. Yale University, New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Ballew, M., Marlon, J., Maibach, E., Gustafson, A., Goldberg, M., & Leiserowitz, A. (2018). Americans are more worried about global warming, and show signs of losing hope. Yale University, New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

Gustafson, A., Rosenthal, S., Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Kotcher, J., Ballew, M., & Goldberg, M. (2018). The Green New Deal has strong bipartisan support. Yale University and George Mason University. New Haven, CT: Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Available here.

PRESENTATIONS & PANELS

Ballew, M. T. (2024, May 21). Empowering tomorrow: Activating youth for climate action. Invited virtual speaker at the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication.

Ballew, M. T., & Coppock, A. (2024, April 23). Communicating across the partisan divide. Invited virtual panel speaker at Yale Blue Green.

Ballew, M. T. (2024, April 11). The attitude-behavior gap on climate action: How can it be bridged? Invited virtual speaker at the NOAA Teachers on the Estuary (TOTE) Workshop.

Ballew, M. T. (2024, March 26). American support for climate action. Invited virtual panel speaker at the Environmental Polling Consortium.

Ballew, M. T. (2023, September 6). Climate Change in the American Mind and implications for climate change communication. Invited virtual speaker at Gonzaga University.

Ballew, M. T. (2023, April 6). Using climate opinion maps to target effective climate action messages. Invited virtual guest lecturer at Oberlin College.

Ballew, M. T. (2023, March 29). American support for climate action. Invited virtual panel speaker at the Environmental Polling Consortium.

Ballew, M. T. (2023, March 24). Climate Change in the American Mind: Politics & Policy. Invited virtual speaker at Citizens’ Climate Lobby.

Ballew, M. T. (2023, March 23). How to talk about climate change. Invited virtual speaker at the Rotary District Chapter 7910 Climate Cafe.

Douglas, J., Tanner, R., & Ballew, M. T. (2021, November). Engaging the world: Environmental justice – Making a difference. Invited panel speaker at Wilkinson College of Chapman University.

Ballew, M. T. (2021, February). The political culture of climate change denialism. Invited panel speaker at the Sustainability Preconference at the virtual annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP).

Ballew, M. T., Pearson, A. R., Goldberg, M. H., Rosenthal, S. A., & Leiserowitz, A. (2020, February). Does social class moderate the political divide on climate change? The roles of education, income, and individualism. Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ballew, M. T., Leiserowitz, A., Roser-Renouf, C., Rosenthal, S. A., Kotcher, J. E., Marlon, J. R., Lyon, E., Goldberg, M. H., & Maibach, E. W. (2019, May). Climate Change in the American Mind: Data, tools, and trends. American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), Toronto, Canada.

Ballew, M. T., Goldberg, M. H., Rosenthal, S. A., Gustafson, A., & Leiserowitz, A. (April, 2019). Systems thinking as a pathway to global warming beliefs and attitudes through an ecological worldview. Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies (F&ES) Research Day, New Haven, Connecticut.

Ballew, M. T., Goldberg, M. H., Rosenthal, S. A., Gustafson, A., & Leiserowitz, A. (February, 2019). Systems thinking as a pathway to global warming beliefs and attitudes through an ecological worldview. Sustainability Preconference at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), Portland, Oregon.

Davydova, J., Pearson, A. R., Ballew, M. T., Schuldt, J. P. (2018, March). Illuminating the link between perceived threat and control over climate change: The role of attributions for causation and mitigation. Sustainability Preconference at the annual meeting of the Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), Atlanta, Georgia.

Winter, P. L., Ballew, M. T., Dear, S., Omoto, A. M., & Bruni, C. M. (2017, August). Does a visit to a natural history museum enhance youths’ connectedness with nature? Poster presentation at the 125th convention of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.

Ballew, M. T., & Omoto, A. M. (2015, June). Experiences with nature, interconnectedness, and prosociality. Invited oral presentation at Seizing an Alternative: Toward an Ecological Civilization, Claremont, California.

Ballew, M. T., Bruni, C. M., & Crawford, M. (2015, April). Using Web 2.0 and social media technologies to foster proenvironmental action. In P. L. Winter (Chair), Intersections between Environmental Engagement, Technologies, and Connections to Nature. Symposium conducted at the Annual Western Psychological Association Convention, Las Vegas, Nevada.

Ballew, M. T., & Omoto, A. M., (2014, July). Purpose in life mediates the relationship between volunteering and positive aging. Oral presentation at the European Conference on Positive Psychology, Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Ballew, M. T., & Omoto, A. M. (2014, June). Pathways to positive aging: Volunteerism and purpose in life. Oral presentation at the Biennial SPSSI Conference, Portland, Oregon.

Ballew, M. T. (2014, September). Long-term planning: What you need to do when to graduate on time. Invited Psi Chi panelist at Claremont Graduate University, Claremont, California.