Abstract
Avoiding dangerous climate change is one of the most urgent social risk issues we face today and understanding related public perceptions is critical to engaging the public with the major societal transformations required to combat climate change. Analyses of public perceptions have indicated that climate change is perceived as distant on a number of different dimensions. However, to date there has been no in-depth exploration of the psychological distance of climate change. This study uses a nationally representative British sample in order to systematically explore and characterize each of the four theorized dimensions of psychological distance--temporal, social, and geographical distance, and uncertainty--in relation to climate change. We examine how each of these different aspects of psychological distance relate to each other as well as to concerns about climate change and sustainable behavior intentions. Results indicate that climate change is both psychologically distant and proximal in relation to different dimensions. Lower psychological distance was generally associated with higher levels of concern, although perceived impacts on developing countries, as an indicator of social distance, was also significantly related to preparedness to act on climate change. Our findings clearly point to the utility of risk communication techniques designed to reduce psychological distance. However, highlighting the potentially very serious distant impacts of climate change may also be useful in promoting sustainable behavior, even among those already concerned.
Highlights
Current discussions and debate on climate change frequently refer to the psychological distance of climate change
Our results indicate that the UK public really perceive climate change as global, being both distant and local in nature
We observe differences in levels of uncertainty about different aspects of climate change and note that there is a possibility of transfer between different aspects of uncertainty, highlighting the problematic nature of media representations of apparent public uncertainty over climate change
Summary
Data obtained was weighted to the profile of the known GB population on the basis of gender, age, working status, social grade and ethnicity. With regards to social distance, a majority of respondents felt that climate change would disproportionally impact developing countries with 45.8% who tended to or strongly agreed with this idea (36.1% tended to or strongly disagreed). Respondents felt that climate change was likely to have an impact on people similar to themselves, and 44.6% of respondents tended to or strongly agreed with this statement (32.3% tended to or strongly disagreed). Respondents seem to perceive social distance in that greater effects are likely to be experienced by developing countries, and a lack of distance in that people similar to themselves would be impacted These perceptions are entirely compatible with one another and may reflect the idea that climate change is global and will affect everyone. At least some climate change impacts appear to be perceived as quite close
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