Communicating Climate Change in the Era of Anxiety: Testing a Double-Moderated-Mediation Model

Abstract

ABSTRACT Research investigating the effectiveness of proximizing climate change, guided by Construal Level Theory (CLT), has produced mixed results regarding its ability to foster climate engagement. This study aimed to clarify these mixed findings by examining the roles of climate anxiety and efficacy perception as potential moderating factors. Using data from 1,045 adults, a double-moderated-mediation model was tested, focusing on the interplay between perceived psychological distance, construal level, climate anxiety, and efficacy perception. The results revealed that construal level fully mediated the relationship between perceived psychological distance and pro-environmental intention. Furthermore, the data showed that both climate anxiety and efficacy perception amplified this relationship. Specifically, participants with higher climate anxiety tended to construe psychologically closer climate risks more concretely and distant risks more abstractly. Participants with higher efficacy perception adopted more concrete, lower-level construals when viewing climate change as an imminent threat. However, when both climate anxiety and efficacy perceptions were considered, climate anxiety attenuated the influence of efficacy perception. The study concludes by discussing the theoretical and practical implications of these findings for enhancing the effectiveness of climate change communication.