Climate change, from rising sea levels to extreme weather, poses one of the greatest threats to human existence. The longer we delay action, the graver the consequences.
Many Americans recognize the importance of addressing climate change, yet taking action often proves difficult, hindered by structural and societal barriers.
Encouraging action
Researchers at Kellogg wondered if an intervention could encourage people to take more proactive steps. They developed strategies to inform people about the positive effects of sustainability policies in other countries, then tested how this information influenced U.S. participants in a series of experiments.
“We hypothesized that if we could get people to think beyond their immediate environment, they might be more open to policies that promote sustainability,” the researchers explain.
In four studies, they discovered that informing U.S. residents about successful sustainability policies abroad, like new wind energy projects or reduced car use, boosted support for similar policies at home. It also increased participants’ intentions to adopt behaviors aligned with these policies.
Motivating citizens
“We see this approach as a potential way to collectively motivate citizens not only to change their personal behaviors but also to support policies that challenge the status quo,” the researchers note.
They conducted multiple experiments to assess how learning about sustainability efforts outside the U.S. would impact participants’ views on domestic initiatives. The studies involved over 2,500 U.S. participants.
In one experiment, participants read a short article about sustainable urban planning in Paris, which prioritized biking and walking over driving. A control group read about U.S.-based planning that emphasized driving. Those who learned about Parisian policies were more likely to support similar initiatives in the U.S., such as converting street parking into bike lanes. They also expressed a greater intention to reduce their reliance on cars.
Lack of imagination
A lack of imagination often prevents people from adopting new behaviors. Seeing successful policies implemented abroad can make people think, “Maybe I can support these kinds of policies at home.”
This effect held true even for policies directly impacting participants. For example, Chicago residents who learned about Paris’s urban planning policies were more supportive of local efforts to improve public transportation and reduce traffic on Lake Shore Drive, a major thoroughfare.
The findings were not limited to urban planning. Similar results emerged when participants read about Denmark’s wind energy infrastructure.
Interestingly, the success of these policies didn’t have to come from Western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic (WEIRD) countries. In a follow-up study, participants who learned about sustainability efforts in both Colombia and France showed similar positive effects.
Widespread impact
The effect was evident among both Republicans and Democrats. “You might expect conservatives to be less receptive to this intervention, as it implies America isn’t leading in this context, or because of lower interest in sustainability,” the researchers explain. “But that’s not what we found.”
The research suggests that simple communication strategies—like social media posts or blog articles highlighting successful sustainability policies abroad—could significantly influence how Americans view sustainability efforts at home.
“There’s a growing trend on Twitter for this kind of messaging,” the authors observe. “It’s a tool that grassroots organizers and policymakers alike can use to engage the public.”
The researchers initially focused on motivating U.S. participants because of America’s significant role in climate change and its dependence on vehicles. But they plan to broaden their scope.
“We’re interested in seeing how this approach works across different countries and populations,” they conclude. “If we can inform people in the Netherlands about a successful bus system in Nepal, it could expand this all-hands-on-deck approach to climate change through similar interventions.”
