Abstract
This paper tackles whether it is possible to identify cognitive biases that foster environmental concern among public opinion. In particular, the study focuses on the mere exposure effect. Regression analysis was conducted on data concerning Spain and Italy to test the hypotheses that (1) exposing individuals to proenvironmental stimuli in the form of physical natural environments or recycling policies and (2) belonging to younger generations today is associated with a greater extent of environmental concern. The results confirmed both the hypotheses, suggesting environmental policies that affect individuals in their everyday lives, besides being beneficial for the environment, make the public opinion more conscious about the issue
Highlights
IntroductionThe climate emergency represents the most crucial crisis humankind has ever had to face
According to Easton’s model of the political system (1957), the outputs produced by representatives in the form of policies are the product of a process in which, among other things, the inputs play a relevant role; inputs that citizens enter into the system, with their demands and requests of any kind
What kind of inputs is public opinion inserting into the political system if the result is scarce? If the input is not a sufficiently demanding and assertive one, how can a change in the output incentivize an improvement in the input, further improving the output, in a cycle only destined to turn into more sustainable policies gradually? How can environmental concern of public opinion be fostered so that they demand more sustainable policies, which in turn would possibly promote environmental concern?
Summary
The climate emergency represents the most crucial crisis humankind has ever had to face Such a life-threatening situation calls for urgent and consistent action of mitigation by governments and supranational institutions – yet, such a concrete action has not been following (Funk et al, 2018). This inaction is precisely what lies at the heart of the question this analysis stems from. Inputs receive feedback from the system’s output, inevitably linking all components of this cycle Based on this theoretical framework, public opinion’s environmental concern becomes key for a twofold reason. Environmental policies or initiatives are unlikely to succeed if they cannot count on the citizenry’s substantial support for their proper implementation
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