Abstract
The willingness to take action against climate change may be shaped by cultural orientations. The present study investigated individualist–collectivist differences in climate change inaction as well as the mediating role of perceived intractability. In Study 1, a survey of 182 undergraduates showed that greater perceived intractability of climate change was significantly related to a lower frequency of climate-friendly actions in the preceding 6 months. In Study 2, participants who were exposed to information concerning the intractability of climate change (experimental group, n = 98) reported a significantly greater perceived intractability of climate change and lower intention to assume a low-carbon lifestyle than those presented with neutral information (control group, n = 83). Based on Studies 1 and 2, participants with collectivist or individualist orientations were recruited from a pool of Chinese undergraduate students in Study 3. We found that participants with a more individualist orientation (n = 62) are more subject to perceived intractability, and less likely to take climate-friendly action than those with a more collectivist orientation (n = 94), and individualist/collectivist status affects climate change inaction through perceived intractability as mediator. The implications of these findings are discussed in relation to the promotion of public engagement with climate change by mitigating perceived intractability.
Highlights
Despite increasing pressure to deal with climate change, individuals have been hesitant to respond effectively
The results of Study 1 showed that Change Inaction (CCI), which is operationalized as a low frequency of climate-friendly action over the preceding 6 months, is significantly correlated with the level of Perceived Intractability of Climate Change (PICC)
These findings support our hypothesis that climate change inaction is correlated positively with perceived intractability
Summary
Despite increasing pressure to deal with climate change, individuals have been hesitant to respond effectively. Public opinion polls and previous studies have indicated that our action on climate change is limited. According to the results of a Eurobarometer survey carried out in 2009, just over half (53%) of European Union citizens say they took some kind of action to combat climate change over the previous 6 months (European Commission, 2009). Fu et al (2015), in a survey of 2,100 respondents, found that only 57.05% of Chinese individuals reported always or often engaging in energy-saving activities to alleviate climate change. That climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing global society, why are we so reluctant to take action against it? Individual inaction over climate change mitigation, so-called climate change inaction, has been attracting increasing attention That climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing global society, why are we so reluctant to take action against it? Recently, individual inaction over climate change mitigation, so-called climate change inaction, has been attracting increasing attention
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