Skip to main content Accessibility help

We use cookies to distinguish you from other users and to provide you with a better experience on our websites. Close this message to accept cookies or find out how to manage your cookie settings.

Close cookie message
×
Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T19:00:59.925Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

34 - Political Psychology and the Climate Crisis

from Part III - Contemporary Challenges to Democracy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  17 February 2022

By
Nathaniel Geiger ,
Mike Gruszczynski  and
Janet K. Swim
Edited by
Danny Osborne  and
Chris G. Sibley
Danny Osborne
Affiliation:
University of Auckland
Chris G. Sibley
Affiliation:
University of Auckland
Get access

Summary

The current chapter examines factors predicting engagement and disengagement with climate change. After providing a baseline overview of climate change and public opinion on the topic, we explore how psychological motives might conflict with individuals’ desire to be accurate when considering climate change information. Next, we examine how individual differences in world views affect how individuals relate to climate change, focusing specifically on moral attitudes, social dominance orientation (SDO), neoliberal ideology, and attitudes towards system change as correlates of climate beliefs and engagement.Finally, we consider how social cues from both elites (such as politicians and scientists) and peers can serve as critical sources of information guiding individuals’ beliefs about and responses to climate change.

Keywords

Climate changePolitical psychologyMotivated reasoningWorld viewSocial cues
Type
Chapter
Information
The Cambridge Handbook of Political Psychology , pp. 546 - 564
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Abrahamse, W., & Steg, L. (2013). Social influence approaches to encourage resource conservation: A meta-analysis. Global Environmental Change, 23(6), 1773–1785. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.07.029CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Alló, M., & Loureiro, M. L. (2014). The role of social norms on preferences towards climate change policies: A meta-analysis. Energy Policy, 73, 563–574. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2014.04.042Google Scholar
American Psychological Association. (2020, 6 February). Majority of US adults believe climate change is most important issue today [Press release]. http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2020/02/climate-changeGoogle Scholar
Anderegg, W. R. L., & Goldsmith, G. R. (2014). Public interest in climate change over the past decade and the effects of the ‘climategate’ media event. Environmental Research Letters, 9(5), Article 054005. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/9/5/054005Google Scholar
Antonio, R. J., & Brulle, R. J. (2011). The unbearable lightness of politics: Climate change denial and political polarization. The Sociological Quarterly, 52(2), 195–202. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1533-8525.2011.01199.xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atkin, E. (2018, 21 August). Germany has proven the modern automobile must die. Wired. https://www.wired.com/story/germany-proves-cars-must-die/Google Scholar
Attari, S. Z., Krantz, D. H., & Weber, E. U. (2019). Climate change communicators’ carbon footprints affect their audience’s policy support. Climatic Change, 154(3–4), 529–545. https://doi.org/10/ggnkr7Google Scholar
Attari, S. Z., Schoen, M., Davidson, C. I., et al. (2009). Preferences for change: Do individuals prefer voluntary actions, soft regulations, or hard regulations to decrease fossil fuel consumption? Ecological Economics, 68(6), 1701–1710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2008.10.007CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Atwater, T., Salwen, M. B., & Anderson, R. B. (1985). Media agenda-setting with environmental issues. Journalism Quarterly, 62(2), 393–397. https://doi.org/10.1177/107769908506200227Google Scholar
Bales, S. N., Sweetland, J., & Volmert, A. (2015). How to talk about climate change and the ocean: A FrameWorks message memo. FrameWorks Institute. http://www.frameworksinstitute.org/assets/files/PDF_oceansclimate/climatechangeandtheocean_mm_final_2015.pdfGoogle Scholar
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, Article 102024. https://doi.org/10/ggf2xvCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ballew, M. T., Rosenthal, S. A., Goldberg, M. H., et al. (2020). Beliefs about others’ global warming beliefs: The role of party affiliation and opinion deviance. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 70, Article 101466. https://doi.org/10/gg4t6fGoogle Scholar
Bloodhart, B., Maibach, E., Myers, T., & Zhao, X. (2015). Local climate experts: The influence of local TV weather information on climate change perceptions. PLoS ONE, 10(11), Article e0141526. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0141526CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bolsen, T., & Druckman, J. N. (2018). Do partisanship and politicization undermine the impact of a scientific consensus message about climate change? Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 21(3), 389–402. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430217737855CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Boykoff, M. T., & Mansfield, M. (2008). `Ye olde hot aire’: Reporting on human contributions to climate change in the UK tabloid press. Environmental Research Letters, 3(2), Article 024002. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/3/2/024002Google Scholar
Boykoff, M. T., & Roberts, J. T. (2007). Media coverage of climate change: Current trends, strengths, weaknesses (No. 3; Fighting climate change: Human solidarity in a divided world, p. 54). United Nations Development Programme.Google Scholar
Bragg, B., Galloway, T., Spohn, D. B., & Trotter, D. E. (2003). Land use and zoning for the public’s health. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 31(4), 78–80. https://doi.org/10/bcst6kGoogle Scholar
Briseno, A. (2017). American’s attitudes about science and scientists in 2017. Research America. https://www.researchamerica.org/sites/default/files/Americans%27%20Attitudes%20about%20Science%20and%20Scientists%20in%202017.pdfGoogle Scholar
Brüggemann, M., & Engesser, S. (2017). Beyond false balance: How interpretive journalism shapes media coverage of climate change. Global Environmental Change, 42, 58–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2016.11.004CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brulle, R. J., Carmichael, J., & Jenkins, J. C. (2012). Shifting public opinion on climate change: An empirical assessment of factors influencing concern over climate change in the U.S., 2002–2010. Climatic Change, 114(2), 169–188. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-012-0403-yCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Campbell, T. H., & Kay, A. C. (2014). Solution aversion: On the relation between ideology and motivated disbelief. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 107(5), 809–824. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0037963Google Scholar
Capstick, S., Whitmarsh, L., Poortinga, W., Pidgeon, N., & Upham, P. (2015). International trends in public perceptions of climate change over the past quarter century. WIREs Climate Change, 6(1), 35–61. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.321Google Scholar
Chaiken, S. (1980). Heuristic versus systematic information processing and the use of source versus message cues in persuasion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 39(5), 752–766. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.39.5.752Google Scholar
Choi, S., Niyogi, D., Shepardson, D. P., & Charusombat, U. (2010). Do earth and environmental science textbooks promote middle and high school students’ conceptual development about climate change? Textbooks’ consideration of students’ misconceptions. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 91(7), 889–898. https://doi.org/10.1175/2009BAMS2625.1Google Scholar
Clark, B., & York, R. (2005). Carbon metabolism: Global capitalism, climate change, and the biospheric rift. Theory and Society, 34(4), 391–428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11186-005-1993-4Google Scholar
Cohen, G. L. (2003). Party over policy: The dominating impact of group influence on political beliefs. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 85(5), 808–822. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.85.5.808Google Scholar
Cook, J., & Lewandowsky, S. (2011). The debunking handbook: Now freely available for download. University of Queensland. https://www.skepticalscience.com/Debunking-Handbook-now-freely-available-download.htmlGoogle Scholar
Cook, J., Lewandowsky, S., & Ecker, U. K. H. (2017a). Neutralizing misinformation through inoculation: Exposing misleading argumentation techniques reduces their influence. PLoS ONE, 12(5), Article e0175799. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175799Google Scholar
Cook, J., Lewandowsky, S., & Ecker, U. K. H. (2017b). Neutralizing misinformation through inoculation: Exposing misleading argumentation techniques reduces their influence. PLoS ONE, 12(5), Article e0175799. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0175799Google Scholar
Corner, A., Parkhill, K., Pidgeon, N., & Vaughan, N. E. (2013). Messing with nature? Exploring public perceptions of geoengineering in the UK. Global Environmental Change, 23(5), 938–947. https://doi.org/10/f5kbn5CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Corner, A., Whitmarsh, L., & Xenias, D. (2012). Uncertainty, scepticism and attitudes towards climate change: Biased assimilation and attitude polarisation. Climatic Change, 114(3–4), 463–478. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-012-0424-6Google Scholar
Cummings, C. L., Lin, S. H., & Trump, B. D. (2017). Public perceptions of climate geoengineering: A systematic review of the literature. Climate Research, 73(3), 247–264. https://doi.org/10/gbzw7dGoogle Scholar
Darley, J. M., & Latané, B. (1968). Bystander intervention in emergencies: Diffusion of responsibility. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 8(4 Pt. 1), 377–383. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0025589Google Scholar
Devine-Wright, P., & Howes, Y. (2010). Disruption to place attachment and the protection of restorative environments: A wind energy case study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(3), 271–280. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.01.008Google Scholar
Dietz, T., Gardner, G. T., Gilligan, J., Stern, P. C., & Vandenbergh, M. P. (2009). Household actions can provide a behavioral wedge to rapidly reduce US carbon emissions. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(44), 18452–18456. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0908738106Google Scholar
Drews, S., & Van den Bergh, J. C. (2016). What explains public support for climate policies? A review of empirical and experimental studies. Climate Policy, 16(7), 855–876. https://doi.org/10/gg4t8pGoogle Scholar
Ecker, U. K., Butler, L. H., Cook, J., Hurlstone, M. J., Kurz, T., & Lewandowsky, S. (2020). Using the COVID-19 economic crisis to frame climate change as a secondary issue reduces mitigation support. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 70, Article 101464. https://doi.org/10/gg58bdCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ehret, P. J., Van Boven, L., & Sherman, D. K. (2018). Partisan barriers to bipartisanship: Understanding climate policy polarization. Social Psychological and Personality Science, Article 1948550618758709. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550618758709Google Scholar
Ferguson, M. A., & Branscombe, N. R. (2010). Collective guilt mediates the effect of beliefs about global warming on willingness to engage in mitigation behavior. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(2), 135–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.11.010CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Feinberg, M., & Willer, R. (2013). The moral roots of environmental attitudes. Psychological Science, 24(1), 56–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797612449177CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Feygina, I., Jost, J. T., & Goldsmith, R. E. (2010). System justification, the denial of global warming, and the possibility of ‘system-sanctioned change’. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 36(3), 326–338. https://doi.org/10/bjtrkkGoogle Scholar
Fiske, S. T. (2009). Social beings: Core motives in social psychology. John Wiley & Sons.Google Scholar
Fosu-Mensah, B. Y., Vlek, P. L., & MacCarthy, D. S. (2012). Farmers’ perception and adaptation to climate change: A case study of Sekyedumase district in Ghana. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 14(4), 495–505. https://doi.org/10/gg56z9Google Scholar
Geiger, N. (2020). Do people actually ‘listen to the experts’? A cautionary note on assuming expert persuasiveness on strategic science communication. Health Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2020.1862449Google Scholar
Geiger, N., Sarge, M., & Comfort, R. (2021). An examination of expertise, caring and salient value similarity as source factors that garner support for advocated climate policies. Preprint available at https://osf.io/3yt8u/Google Scholar
Geiger, N., McLaughlin, B., & Velez, J. (2021). Not all boomers: Temporal orientation explains inter- and intra-cultural variability in the link between age and climate engagement. Climatic Change, 166(1), Article 12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-021-03116-xCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Geiger, N., Pasek, M. H., Gruszczynski, M., Ratcliff, N. J., & Weaver, K. S. (2020). Political ingroup conformity and pro-environmental behavior: Evaluating the evidence from a survey and mousetracking experiments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 72, Article 101524. https://doi.org/10/ghh65gGoogle Scholar
Geiger, N., & Swim, J. K. (2016). Climate of silence: Pluralistic ignorance as a barrier to climate change discussion. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 47, 79–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2016.05.002Google Scholar
Geiger, N., Swim, J. K., & Fraser, J. (2017). Creating a climate for change: Interventions, efficacy and public discussion about climate change. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 51, 104–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.03.010Google Scholar
Geiger, N., Swim, J. K., Fraser, J., & Flinner, K. (2017). Catalyzing public engagement with climate change through informal science learning centers. Science Communication, 39(2), 221–249. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547017697980Google Scholar
Geiger, N., Swim, J. K., & Glenna, L. L. (2019). Spread the green word: A social community perspective into environmentally sustainable behavior. Environment and Behavior, 51(5), 561–589. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916518812925CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Goldberg, M. H., van der Linden, S., Maibach, E., & Leiserowitz, A. (2019). Discussing global warming leads to greater acceptance of climate science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 116(30), 14804–14805. https://doi.org/10/gf4q5bCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Graça, J. (2020). Opposition to immigration and (anti‐)environmentalism: An application and extension of the social dominance‐environmentalism nexus with 21 countries in Europe. Applied Psychology, 70(2), 905–928. https://doi.org/10/gg58bcCrossRefGoogle Scholar
Graham, J., Haidt, J., & Nosek, B. A. (2009). Liberals and conservatives rely on different sets of moral foundations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(5), 1029–1046. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015141Google Scholar
Guber, D. L. (2013). A cooling climate for change? Party polarization and the politics of global warming. American Behavioral Scientist, 57(1), 93–115. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764212463361Google Scholar
Gustafson, A., Rosenthal, S. A., Ballew, M. T., et al. (2019). The development of partisan polarization over the Green New Deal. Nature Climate Change, 9(12), 940–944. https://doi.org/10/ggkd9dGoogle Scholar
Häkkinen, K., & Akrami, N. (2014). Ideology and climate change denial. Personality and Individual Differences, 70, 62–65. https://doi.org/10/f244rfGoogle Scholar
Hart, P. S., & Nisbet, E. C. (2014). Boomerang effects in science communication: How motivated reasoning and identity cues amplify opinion polarization about climate mitigation policies (578192014-270) [Data set]. American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/e578192014Google Scholar
Hart, W., Albarracín, D., Eagly, A. H., Brechan, I., Lindberg, M. J., & Merrill, L. (2009). Feeling validated versus being correct: A meta-analysis of selective exposure to information. Psychological Bulletin, 135(4), 555–588. http://dx.doi.org.ezaccess.libraries.psu.edu/10.1037/a0015701Google Scholar
Hawken, P. (2017). Drawdown: The most comprehensive plan ever proposed to reverse global warming. Penguin.Google Scholar
Heath, Y., & Gifford, R. (2006). Free-market ideology and environmental degradation: The case of belief in global climate change. Environment and Behavior, 38(1), 48–71. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916505277998CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hennes, E. P., Ruisch, B. C., Feygina, I., Monteiro, C. A., & Jost, J. T. (2016). Motivated recall in the service of the economic system: The case of anthropogenic climate change. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 145(6), 755–771. https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000148Google Scholar
Hoffarth, M. R., & Hodson, G. (2016). Green on the outside, red on the inside: Perceived environmentalist threat as a factor explaining political polarization of climate change. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 45, 40–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.11.002Google Scholar
Hornsey, M. J., & Fielding, K. S. (2017). Attitude roots and Jiu Jitsu persuasion: Understanding and overcoming the motivated rejection of science. American Psychologist, 72(5), 459–473. https://doi.org/10/gbqsfzCrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hurlstone, M. J., Price, A., Wang, S., Leviston, Z., & Walker, I. (2020). Activating the legacy motive mitigates intergenerational discounting in the climate game. Global Environmental Change, 60, Article 102008. https://doi.org/10/ggpbqwGoogle Scholar
Incropera, F. P. (2016). Climate change: A wicked problem: Complexity and uncertainty at the intersection of science, economics, politics, and human behavior. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Jacquet, J., Dietrich, M., & Jost, J. T. (2014). The ideological divide and climate change opinion: ‘Top-down’ and ‘bottom-up’ approaches. Frontiers in Psychology, 5. https://doi.org/10/gdxw32Google Scholar
Jenkins-Smith, H. C., Ripberger, J. T., Silva, C. L., et al. (2020). Partisan asymmetry in temporal stability of climate change beliefs. Nature Climate Change, 10, 322–328. https://doi.org/10/ggn4dtGoogle Scholar
Jost, J. T. (2017). Ideological asymmetries and the essence of political psychology. Political Psychology, 38(2), 167–208. https://doi.org/10/ggmpfrGoogle Scholar
Jost, J. T., Sterling, J., & Stern, C. (2017). Getting closure on conservatism, or the politics of epistemic and existential motivation. In Kopetz, C. E. & Fishbach, A. (Eds.), The motivation-cognition interface: From the lab to the real world – A festschrift in honor of Arie W. Kruglanski (pp. 56–87). Routledge.Google Scholar
Kahan, D. M., Jenkins-Smith, H., Tarantola, T., Silva, C. L., & Braman, D. (2015). Geoengineering and climate change polarization: Testing a two-channel model of science communication. The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 658(1), 192–222. https://doi.org/10/f62vsxGoogle Scholar
Kahan, D. M., Peters, E., Wittlin, M., et al. (2012). The polarizing impact of science literacy and numeracy on perceived climate change risks. Nature Climate Change, 2(10), 732–735. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1547Google Scholar
Kasser, T., Cohn, S., Kanner, A. D., & Ryan, R. M. (2007). Some costs of American corporate capitalism: A psychological exploration of value and goal conflicts. Psychological Inquiry, 18(1), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1080/10478400701386579CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kazdin, A. E. (2009). Psychological science’s contributions to a sustainable environment: Extending our reach to a grand challenge of society. American Psychologist, 64(5), 339–356. https://doi.org/10/c4mbpvGoogle Scholar
Kotcher, J. E., Myers, T. A., Vraga, E. K., Stenhouse, N., & Maibach, E. W. (2017). Does engagement in advocacy hurt the credibility of scientists? Results from a randomized national survey experiment. Environmental Communication, 11(3), 415–429. https://doi.org/10/gg4dg4Google Scholar
Kruglanski, A. W., Orehek, E., Dechesne, M., & Pierro, A. (2010). Lay epistemic theory: The motivational, cognitive, and social aspects of knowledge formation. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 4(10), 939–950. https://doi.org/10/c74n6pGoogle Scholar
Lawson, D. F., Stevenson, K. T., Peterson, M. N., Carrier, S. J., Strnad, R. L., & Seekamp, E. (2019). Children can foster climate change concern among their parents. Nature Climate Change, 9(6), 458–462. https://doi.org/10/gf2j7tGoogle Scholar
Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Rosenthal, S., et al. (2019). Climate activism: Beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors, November 2019. Yale University and George Mason University. https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/global-warming-activism-november-2019.pdfGoogle Scholar
Leviston, Z., Walker, I., & Morwinski, S. (2013). Your opinion on climate change might not be as common as you think. Nature Climate Change, 3(4), 334–337. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1743Google Scholar
Lewandowsky, S., Ecker, U. K. H., Seifert, C. M., Schwarz, N., & Cook, J. (2012). Misinformation and its correction: Continued influence and successful debiasing. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 13(3), 106–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/1529100612451018Google Scholar
Maibach, E. W., Leiserowitz, A., Rosenthal, S., Roser-Renouf, C., & Cutler, M. (2016). Is there a climate ‘spiral of silence’ in America: March, 2016. Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. http://climatecommunication.yale.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Climate-Spiral-Silence-March-2016.pdfGoogle Scholar
Malka, A., Krosnick, J. A., & Langer, G. (2009). The association of knowledge with concern about global warming: Trusted information sources shape public thinking. Risk Analysis, 29(5), 633–647. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1539-6924.2009.01220.xGoogle Scholar
Markowitz, E. M., & Shariff, A. F. (2012). Climate change and moral judgement. Nature Climate Change, 2(4), 243–247. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1378Google Scholar
Mason, L. (2018). Ideologues without issues: The polarizing consequences of ideological identities. Public Opinion Quarterly, 82(1), 866–877. https://doi.org/10.1093/poq/nfy005Google Scholar
McCombs, M. E. (2004). Setting the agenda: The mass media and public opinion. Polity.Google Scholar
McCright, A. M., & Dunlap, R. E. (2010). Anti-reflexivity: The American conservative movements success in undermining climate science and policy. Theory, Culture & Society, 27(2–3), 100–133. https://doi.org/10.1177/0263276409356001CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Meleady, R., Crisp, R. J., Dhont, K., Hopthrow, T., & Turner, R. N. (2020). Intergroup contact, social dominance, and environmental concern: A test of the cognitive-liberalization hypothesis. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 118(6), 1146–1164. https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000196Google Scholar
Merkley, E., & Stecula, D. A. (2018). Party elites or manufactured doubt? The informational context of climate change polarization. Science Communication, 40(2), 258–274. https://doi.org/10.1177/1075547018760334Google Scholar
Mildenberger, M., & Tingley, D. (2017). Beliefs about climate beliefs: The importance of second-order opinions for climate politics. British Journal of Political Science, 49(4), 1279–1307. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007123417000321CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milfont, T. L., Evans, L., Sibley, C. G., Ries, J., & Cunningham, A. (2014). Proximity to coast is linked to climate change belief. PLoS ONE, 9(7), Article e103180. https://doi.org/10/f6jkcvGoogle Scholar
Miller, D. T., & McFarland, C. (1987). Pluralistic ignorance: When similarity is interpreted as dissimilarity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(2), 298–305. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.53.2.298Google Scholar
Myers, T. A., Maibach, E. W., Placky, B. W., Henry, K. L., Slater, M. D., & Seitter, K. L. (2020). Impact of the Climate Matters program on public understanding of climate change. Weather, Climate, and Society, 12(4), 863–876. https://doi.org/10/gg9rkhGoogle Scholar
Myers, T. A., Nisbet, M. C., Maibach, E. W., & Leiserowitz, A. A. (2012). A public health frame arouses hopeful emotions about climate change. Climatic Change, 113(3–4), 1105–1112. https://doi.org/10/h27Google Scholar
Painter, J., & Ashe, T. (2012). Cross-national comparison of the presence of climate scepticism in the print media in six countries, 2007–10. Environmental Research Letters, 7(4), Article 044005. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/7/4/044005CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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, 115(49), 12429–12434. https://doi.org/10/cw3wGoogle Scholar
Petersen, A. M., Vincent, E. M., & Westerling, A. L. (2019). Discrepancy in scientific authority and media visibility of climate change scientists and contrarians. Nature Communications, 10(1), Article 3502. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-09959-4Google Scholar
Pew. (2020, 23 June). Two-thirds of Americans think government should do more on climate. Pew Research Center. https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2020/06/23/two-thirds-of-americans-think-government-should-do-more-on-climate/Google Scholar
Poughter, J., & Castillo, A. (2019). Americans and Germans disagree on the state of bilateral relations, but largely align on key international issues. Pew Research Center.Google Scholar
Prentice, D. A., & Miller, D. T. (1993). Pluralistic ignorance and alcohol use on campus: Some consequences of misperceiving the social norm. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 64(2), 243–256. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.64.2.243Google Scholar
Preston, B. L., Westaway, R. M., & Yuen, E. J. (2011). Climate adaptation planning in practice: An evaluation of adaptation plans from three developed nations. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, 16(4), 407–438. https://doi.org/10/dktnvvGoogle Scholar
Rabinowitz, M., Latella, L., Stern, C., & Jost, J. T. (2016). Beliefs about childhood vaccination in the United States: Political ideology, false consensus, and the illusion of uniqueness. PLoS ONE, 11(7), Article e0158382. https://doi.org/10/gbn7m2Google Scholar
Ranney, M. A., & Clark, D. (2016). Climate change conceptual change: Scientific information can transform attitudes. Topics in Cognitive Science, 8(1), 49–75. https://doi.org/10.1111/tops.12187Google Scholar
Roberts, D. (2016, 18 October). The left vs. a carbon tax: The odd, agonizing political battle playing out in Washington state. Vox. https://www.vox.com/2016/10/18/13012394/i-732-carbon-tax-washingtonGoogle Scholar
Roberts, D. (2018, 21 December). The Green New Deal, explained. Vox. https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2018/12/21/18144138/green-new-deal-alexandria-ocasio-cortezGoogle Scholar
Rong, F. (2010). Understanding developing country stances on post-2012 climate change negotiations: Comparative analysis of Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa. Energy Policy, 38(8), 4582–4591. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2010.04.014Google Scholar
Roosen, L. J., Klöckner, C. A., & Swim, J. K. (2017). Visual art as a way to communicate climate change: A psychological perspective on climate change–related art. World Art, 8(1), 85–110. https://doi.org/10.1080/21500894.2017.1375002Google Scholar
Rosenberg, K. V., Dokter, A. M., Blancher, P. J., et al. (2019). Decline of the North American avifauna. Science, 366(6461), 120–124. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aaw1313Google Scholar
Schuldt, J. P., & Pearson, A. R. (2016). The role of race and ethnicity in climate change polarization: Evidence from a U.S. national survey experiment. Climatic Change, 136(3–4), 495–505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-016-1631-3Google Scholar
Schuldt, J. P., Pearson, A. R., Romero-Canyas, R., & Larson-Konar, D. (2017). Brief exposure to Pope Francis heightens moral beliefs about climate change. Climatic Change, 141(2), 167–177.Google Scholar
Schuldt, J. P., Yuan, Y. C., Song, Y., & Liu, K. (2019). Beliefs about whose beliefs? Second-order beliefs and support for China’s coal-to-gas policy. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 66, 101367. https://doi.org/10/ggnfs4Google Scholar
Schweizer, S., Davis, S., & Thompson, J. L. (2013). Changing the conversation about climate change: A theoretical framework for place-based climate change engagement. Environmental Communication, 7(1), 42–62. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2012.753634Google Scholar
Sidanius, J., Levin, S., Liu, J., & Pratto, F. (2000). Social dominance orientation, anti-egalitarianism and the political psychology of gender: An extension and cross-cultural replication. European Journal of Social Psychology, 30(1), 41–67. https://doi.org/10/b735w5Google Scholar
Sokoloski, R., Markowitz, E. M., & Bidwell, D. (2018). Public estimates of support for offshore wind energy: False consensus, pluralistic ignorance, and partisan effects. Energy Policy, 112, 45–55. https://doi.org/10/ghgqbdGoogle Scholar
Sommer, L. K., Swim, J. K., Keller, A., & Klöckner, C. A. (2019). ‘Pollution pods’: The merging of art and psychology to engage the public in climate change. Global Environmental Change, 59, Article 101992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2019.101992CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Sparkman, G., & Attari, S. Z. (2020). Credibility, communication, and climate change: How lifestyle inconsistency and do-gooder derogation impact decarbonization advocacy. Energy Research & Social Science, 59, Article 101290. https://doi.org/10/ggbqkxGoogle Scholar
Stanley, S. K., Milfont, T. L., Wilson, M. S., & Sibley, C. G. (2019). The influence of social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism on environmentalism: A five-year cross-lagged analysis. PLoS ONE, 14(7), Article e0219067. https://doi.org/10/gg3342Google Scholar
Stern, C., West, T. V., Jost, J. T., & Rule, N. O. (2014). ‘Ditto heads’: Do conservatives perceive greater consensus within their ranks than liberals? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 40(9), 1162–1177. https://doi.org/10/gg6rh8CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stern, C., West, T. V., & Schmitt, P. G. (2014). The liberal illusion of uniqueness. Psychological Science, 25(1), 137–144. https://doi.org/10/ggpbr9Google Scholar
Swim, J. K., & Bloodhart, B. (2018). The intergroup foundations of climate change justice. Group Processes & Intergroup Relations, 21(3), 472–496. https://doi.org/10.1177/1368430217745366CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swim, J. K., & Geiger, N. (2017). From alarmed to dismissive of climate change: A single item assessment of individual differences in concern and issue involvement. Environmental Communication, 11(4), 568–586. https://doi.org/10.1080/17524032.2017.1308409Google Scholar
Swim, J. K., Geiger, N., Fraser, J., & Bales, N. (2017). Climate change education at nature-based museums. Curator: The Museum Journal, 60(1), 101–119. https://doi.org/10.1111/cura.12187Google Scholar
Swim, J. K., Geiger, N., Sweetland, J., & Fraser, J. (2018). Social construction of scientifically grounded climate change discussions. In Clayton, S. & Manning, C. (Eds.), Psychology and climate change: From denial and depression to adaptation and resilience (pp. 65–93). Elsevier Academic Press.Google Scholar
Taber, C. S., & Lodge, M. (2006). Motivated skepticism in the evaluation of political beliefs. American Journal of Political Science, 50(3), 755–769. https://doi.org/10/dqdhw6Google Scholar
Thomas, E. F., & Louis, W. R. (2013). Doing democracy: The social psychological mobilization and consequences of collective action. Social Issues and Policy Review, 7(1), 173–200. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-2409.2012.01047.xGoogle Scholar
Van Bavel, J. J., & Pereira, A. (2018). The partisan brain: An identity-based model of political belief. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 22(3), 213–224. https://doi.org/10/gc5b3mGoogle Scholar
van der Linden, S., Leiserowitz, A. A., Feinberg, G. D., & Maibach, E. W. (2015). The scientific consensus on climate change as a gateway belief: Experimental evidence. PLoS ONE, 10(2), Article e0118489. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0118489Google Scholar
van der Linden, S., Leiserowitz, A., & Maibach, E. (2019). The gateway belief model: A large-scale replication. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 62, 49–58. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.01.009Google Scholar
Van Zomeren, M. (2013). Four core social‐psychological motivations to undertake collective action. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(6), 378–388. https://doi.org/10/bfjzGoogle Scholar
Vandenbergh, M. P., & Gilligan, J. M. (2017). Beyond politics. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Weber, E. U., & Stern, P. C. (2011). Public understanding of climate change in the United States. American Psychologist, 66(4), 315–328. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0023253Google Scholar
Wolsko, C. (2017). Expanding the range of environmental values: Political orientation, moral foundations, and the common ingroup. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 51, 284–294. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.04.005Google Scholar
Wolsko, C., Ariceaga, H., & Seiden, J. (2016). Red, white, and blue enough to be green: Effects of moral framing on climate change attitudes and conservation behaviors. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 65, 7–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.02.005Google Scholar
Zaller, J. R. (1992). The nature and origins of mass opinion. Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Zaval, L., Markowitz, E. M., & Weber, E. U. (2015). How will I be remembered? Conserving the environment for the sake of one’s legacy. Psychological Science, 26(2), 231–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614561266Google Scholar
Zhao, X., Maibach, E., Gandy, J., et al. (2013). Climate change education through TV weathercasts: Results of a field experiment. Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society, 95(1), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00144.1Google Scholar

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure coreplatform@cambridge.org is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×