Abstract
Behavioural scientists in the field of climate change communication call for a better understanding of how information provided to the public should be presented in order to be effective. The aim of this research is to connect insights from framing theory with message processing theory and regulatory focus theory to see whether public communication can effectively affect pro-environmental behavioural change. The framing types that are of interest in the current study are outcome framing and point-of-reference framing. An online, scenario-based experiment was conducted with 170 Dutch homeowners using a 2 × 2 between-group design. The stimulus material consisted of a communal newsletter advocating pro-environmental behaviours (both short-term and long-term investments in insulation and investment in an alternative heating system) in which both the outcome (gain vs. loss) and the point of reference (self vs. environment) were manipulated. The results indicate that the effect of outcome framing on pro-environmental behavioural intentions depends on the point of reference employed in a message as well as on a recipient’s regulatory focus. Homeowners’ pro-environmental intentions are stronger when the message is presented in a loss frame with a reference to the self than when the message is presented in a loss frame with a reference to the environment. Furthermore, pro-environmental intentions are stronger when the message is presented to homeowners in a gain frame with a promotion focus compared to a prevention focus. No direct effects were found for either outcome framing or point-of-reference framing.
Highlights
Climate change is seen as one of the most substantial challenges ever faced by humanity
No hypotheses were formulated for the main effect of regulatory focus on message effectiveness, the results show an effect of regulatory focus on long-term intention to invest in an alternative heating system (F(5, 159) = 8.500, p < .01)
Short-term intention to invest in insulation is higher when the outcome is framed in terms of the gains of engaging in the behaviour for a recipient with a promotion focus compared to a recipient with a prevention focus
Summary
Climate change is seen as one of the most substantial challenges ever faced by humanity. In the Netherlands, the Paris Agreement led to a national climate agreement, including a provision that two million houses would be disconnected from the gas grid by 2030, with all of the approximately eight million houses disconnected by 2050. Disconnecting every household from natural gas is a major technical and social challenge, as it requires citizens to adopt alternative heating systems and invest in insulation for their houses [3]. In the Netherlands, 60% of households are homeowners, 30% rent from housing corporations, and 10% rent from private landlords [4]. In the Netherlands, more than half of homeowners have a mortgage on their home, which is a higher percentage than in most other European countries [4]. Ensuring that Dutch homeowners are willing and able to invest in the sustainability of their homes is a challenge for (local) policymakers. This research experimentally examines how public communication by means of message framing affects pro-environmental behaviour
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