Communication Can Increase Public Concern about Climate Change

An international team of researchers including scientists at HSE University have tested 11 communication strategies aimed to encourage pro-environmental behaviours. The sample included nearly 60,000 individuals from 63 countries. While interventions aimed at reducing psychological distance from climate problems proved to be effective, those targeting behaviours which require more effort, such as tree-planting or reducing one's carbon emissions, were not as successful. The study findings have been published in Scientific Advances.

Effectively mitigating climate change requires collective efforts of a large number of people globally. However, it remains unclear which strategies are most likely to inspire people to change their behaviours and begin caring for the planet. 

A team of researchers from 48 countries assessed the relative effectiveness of various behavioural intervention strategies on a sample of 59,440 people. Despite variations in responses due to geographical and demographic factors, 86% of the sample acknowledged the threats of climate change, and over 70% expressed support for collective action to safeguard the planet.

During the experiment, participants were presented with various messages concerning climate change, ranging from descriptions of the grim consequences to success stories of overcoming them. The researchers employed a range of strategies, such as referencing the scientific consensus on climate change, portraying pro-environmental behaviour as a patriotic gesture, and encouraging participants to write letters to future generations about current efforts to preserve life on Earth.

 

The effectiveness of these strategies was assessed by analysing participants' post-intervention beliefs, including their recognition of climate change as a real and substantial threat, their attitudes towards introducing or raising the carbon tax, and willingness to participate in reforestation efforts. The researchers also examined participants' intention to take action, such as sharing information on social media about climate-friendly behaviour and making lifestyle changes, eg engaging in charitable giving, reducing paper-towel use, or decreasing meat and dairy consumption. 

Responses to the messages varied among countries; for instance, referencing a scientific consensus on the threat of climate change increased climate policy support by 20% in Russia and by 9% in Romania, but decreased it by 5% in Canada and by 6% in China.

Asking participants to write a letter to a child of a future generation had a positive impact on support for environmental action in several countries, including the United States and Brazil, but produced a minor negative effect in other countries, such as the UAE and Serbia. Overall, the willingness to share climate information on social media increased among all participants following the interventions.

Interestingly, the effects of each intervention varied among demographic groups. For instance, the intervention where people were asked to envision themselves and their life in the future demonstrated the highest effectiveness among the Russian audience, increasing the level of support for climate conservation measures by 9%. The same approach proved effective for highly educated conservatives in the United States, increasing by 18% their willingness to protect the planet.

The findings of our study highlight the nuances in the impact of various climate awareness strategies. While ‘doom and gloom’ messages stimulated climate information sharing on social media, they decreased support for tangible actions such as tree planting and had a limited effect on respondents with initially low belief in climate change.

Albina Gallyamova
Co-author of the study, Research Assistant, Centre for Sociocultural Research, HSE University

The scientists have developed a web tool designed to promote climate-friendly policies. It can be used by both legislators and practitioners.

Our web application considers a diverse range of target audiences in the surveyed countries, while factoring in characteristics such as nationality, political orientation, age, gender, education, and income level. To maximise their impact, politicians and human rights advocates can determine which communication strategies are optimal for their audience, enabling them to convey vital information in the most effective manner.

Albina Gallyamova
Co-author of the study, Research Assistant, Centre for Sociocultural Research, HSE University

IQ

May 20