In Hine et al.’s (2016) study, the authors found that people with different attitudes regarding climate change respond differently to various types of messaging related to climate change adaptation. The groups of people are labelled, according to their attitudes surrounding climate change, as uncommitted, dismissive, or alarmed (Hine et al., 2016). In this post, I will bring the findings of this study to life by creating two examples of social media posts. One is targeted at the dismissive group and one is targeted at the alarmed group.
Post for dismissive group:
Did this summer’s heat dome leave you sweating in your own home? Are you worried that it will happen again? Be proactive and ensure your family is safe the next time temperatures soar. Here are a few tips: Install a heat pump that works as a heat source and an air conditioner. Plant a shade tree on the south side of your house. Add insulation.
In this sample post, I used a number of techniques derived from the study noted above. Hine at al. (2016) found that messaging is more effective in spurring intent for climate adaptation amongst those who are dismissive about climate change when it provides adaptation advice, includes a negative emotional context, and focuses on local impacts. In my sample, I provided a number of pieces of adaptation advice. I used a negative emotional context by referring to potential fear about future heat events. Lastly, I used local framing by referring to a region-specific heat event (my post would be targeted to people living in this region). The study also found that using framing that explicitly mentions climate change has a negative effect on the intent to adapt by the dismissive group. As such, I did not mention climate change in my post, but instead alluded to the fact that a heat wave similar to the one that occurred in 2021 in BC may happen again.
Post for alarmed group:
Climate change will make events like this summer’s heat dome more common. Are you doing everything you can do to prepare your home for warmer temperatures? Here are a few tips: Install a heat pump that works as a heat source and an air conditioner. Plant a shade tree on the south side of your house. Add insulation.
In this sample post, I used messaging that Hine et al. (2016) found was more effective for the group of people who are alarmed about climate change and its effects. Like with the dismissive group, appealing to negative emotions and providing adaptation advice were found to help induce intent for adaptation actions. As such, I included a negative emotional context by referring to the intensifying heat that will be experienced in the future. Here, I was able to explicitly mention climate change, as this does not have a negative effect on the alarmed group’s intent to act on adaptation. Then, I used the same adaptation advice as with the dismissive group above. Hine et al. (2016) did not find that local framing had a positive effect on the alarmed group’s intent to adapt, but it also did not have a negative effect. Knowing that it would not be detrimental, I left the local framing in for this post.
This blog post was partly inspired by the tree that stands above my Tiny Ecology project sit spot. I noted in my last blog post that the tree provided effective shade for our home during the summer’s heat dome. Today, it is providing beauty instead of shade. I sat underneath it before writing this post, and craned my neck to watch the bright orange leaves against the intensely blue sky.
Hine et al. (2016) found that using different types of messaging for different groups of people is effective in motivating action on climate change. Connor et al. (2016) found that using different messaging frames can affect how much a piece of climate information is shared via social media. Lewandosky (2021) provided a number of ways to communicate about climate change in an environment of misinformation. I wonder, how can practitioners stay up to date on all of these findings and then find a way to put them all into practice?
References
Connor, P., Harris, E., Guy, S., Fernando, J., Shank, D. B., Kurz, T.,Bain, P.G., & Kashima, Y. (2016). Interpersonal communication about climate change: how messages change when communicated through simulated online social networks. Climatic change, 136(3), 463-476. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-016-1643-z
Hine, D. W., Phillips, W. J., Cooksey, R., Reser, J. P., Nunn, P., Marks, A. D., Loi, N.M., & Watt, S. E. (2016). Preaching to different choirs: How to motivate dismissive, uncommitted, and alarmed audiences to adapt to climate change? Global Environmental Change, 36, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2015.11.002
Lewandowsky, S. (2021). Climate Change Disinformation and How to Combat It. Annual Review of Public Health, 42, 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-publhealth-090419-102409
Thanks for this one Hanna! Your final question raises an interesting point — how do we stay on top of all of this research?! We want our work to be evidence-based, but the evidence does change, and at times is even in conflict about what the evidence suggests. I think what it suggests is that we need transdisciplinary approaches that draw on the expertise of many different people, that working towards a solution for climate change means we need to work together and draw on the resources of everyone’s gifts and knowledge.
I also appreciate how the birch tree and the heat dome continue to inform your thinking. By framing your communication strategies through the experience of the heat dome, and addressing different audiences about the same problem but with different frames enables you to be adaptive and specifically responsive to different people. Well done!