Which messages are most promising for motivating people to take collective climate action? A study with over 31,000 participants from the USA examined this question. It is therefore particularly effective to provide examples of successful climate protection efforts and to emphasize the emotional and social benefits of involvement – such as the opportunity to make new friends. Republicans in particular also react positively to calls to protect untouched American nature. However, negative emotions such as anger or fear of climate impacts were less likely to motivate people to act.
Climate change is one of humanity’s greatest current challenges. Depending on the government, however, it takes a back seat on the political agenda of some countries. Environmental protection organizations, climate activists and political actors are therefore trying in various ways to bring the issue back into the public spotlight. “Structural change is really necessary, but for it to happen, people have to demand such change,” said Madalina Vlasceanu of Stanford University. Ways to do this could include demonstrations, petitions or letters to members of parliament – a commitment that goes far beyond individual climate-friendly behavior.
Commitment on a collective level
But how can people be motivated to take such collective actions? To clarify this question, Vlasceanu and a team led by first author Danielle Goldwert from New York University surveyed a representative sample of more than 31,000 people from the USA. The volunteers first saw videos, images, texts or interactive elements that could be assigned to one of 17 psychologically based interventions. They should then indicate their willingness to work for more climate protection.
The participants could choose between three types of engagement: Firstly, they could choose measures that promote public awareness, such as sharing videos, registering for a climate protection organization’s newsletter or taking part in a climate demo. Secondly, they could decide on political actions, such as signing a petition, writing a letter to a member of parliament or stating that they wanted to support climate-friendly politicians in the future. Thirdly, they could indicate their intention to get involved on a financial level, for example by donating to a climate protection organization or no longer investing their money in banks that invest in fossil fuels.
Social and personal benefit
The result: Interventions that provided examples of previous climate protection actions that actually influenced public policy were particularly successful. Several factors came into play here: “People really engage in collective action when they are made aware that it is important, that it has an impact and brings about structural change, while at the same time it also benefits them personally,” explains Goldwert.
For example, the prospect of feeling positive communal energy and possibly finding new friends during climate protection actions proved to be important motivating factors. Combining success stories with an emphasis on social and emotional benefits increased willingness to participate in public awareness efforts by 30 percent and motivation for political action by around 14 percent.
Depending on political views
The effect was particularly strong among people who identified themselves as democratic voters. Republicans, on the other hand, were most likely to respond to messages that appealed to moral values and focused on the value and purity of American nature. One of the statements most likely to motivate Republicans to support climate action was: “If we do not address the effects of climate change on our nation’s greatest wonders, it will be a stain on our history.”
However, interventions based on negative emotions such as anger, fear or guilt were less effective. Messages that emphasized additional benefits of climate protection measures, for example for human health or the labor market, hardly motivated those surveyed to become more involved – a surprising result for the researchers. “It seems intuitive that co-benefits should motivate people – why shouldn’t we solve the problem of climate change if it will also solve problems in healthcare and the economy? But we have seen no results in all categories with this strategy,” says Vlasceanu.
She assumes that the insights gained can help climate activists to inspire the public with effective interventions for more collective engagement in the fight against climate change. “Our results suggest that simple, low-cost messages can help mobilize public support for climate action at scale,” said the research team. “They can therefore serve as a basis for politicians, activists and civil society to design their public relations work.”
Source: Danielle Goldwert (New York University, USA) et al., PNAS Nexus, doi: 10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf400