This study examines the process through which a fear appeal may transform low‐involvement audiences into active publics. Cognitive and emotional responses of uninvolved viewers to a film on environmental contamination are analyzed, together with the coping strategies used to deal with the threat. The research integrates Grunig's situational theory of publics with Rogers' protection‐motivation theory to expand the predictive ability of the situational theory. The data indicate that post‐test public membership, cognitive activity and emotional arousal during viewing are significantly related to viewers' preferences for coping through message resistance, seeking additional information, or taking action on the film's topic. Results suggest that both cognition and affect mediate viewers' responses to a fearful message, thereby contributing to the creation of active publics who are persuaded to take action on a pr