Public information as a catalyst for individual-level behavior to mitigate climate change

Abstract

Despite the growing body of literature on the determinants of public behavioral changes with respect to climate change issues, little (and often controversial) research has explored the mechanism of how publicly available information about climate change issues influences public behavior. Drawing upon prior research on this topic, we propose a model to examine the influence of the amount of publicly available information on public behavior towards climate change risks. Theoretical foundations were drawn from the marketing and the social-psychological literature on behavior. Data was collected via an online survey from a large sample of 1126 French individuals, right before, during and after the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris. Results of structural equations modeling indicate that an increase in publicly available information about causes and consequences of climate change, as well as about actions to be taken to mitigate it, has an important positive influence on public problem awareness. This in turn positively influences both personal efficacy and public behavioral intentions to fight climate change, two key mediators that spur positive changes in desired climate-friendly public behaviors.