Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-2020
Abstract
This study evaluates the impact of exposure to messages that emphasize the need for changes in individual behavior or in public policy to address climate change attributed to a “climate scientist” or to an unnamed source. We implemented a large survey experiment (N = 1915) online through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk (MTurk) platform that manipulated the presence of recommendations for voluntary behavioral changes or the adoption of new laws to mitigate climate change. We found that, regardless of the source of the information, recommendations for behavioral changes decreased individuals’ willingness to take personal actions to reduce greenhouse gases, decreased willingness to support proclimate candidates, reduced belief in the accelerated speed of climate change, and decreased trust in climate scientists.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-19-0141.1
Recommended Citation
Palm, Risa; Bolsen, Toby; and Kingsland, Justin, "“Don’t Tell Me What to Do”: Resistance to Climate Change Messages Suggesting Behavior Changes" (2020). USI Publications. 50.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-19-0141.1
Comments
Author accepted manuscript version of an article published in
Palm, Risa, Toby Bolsen, and Justin T. Kingsland. “‘Don’t Tell Me What to Do’: Resistance to Climate Change Messages Suggesting Behavior Changes.” Weather, Climate, and Society 12, no. 4 (October 1, 2020): 827–35. https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-19-0141.1.