When Others Are Here: The Combinative Effects of Social Presence and Threat Appeals in Climate Change Message Effectiveness

Abstract

ABSTRACT Given the potential power of social presence on individuals’ cognitive and affective responses, the current study hypothesizes that individuals’ social presence differentiates the level of perceived subjective norms and societal injunctive norms for climate change prevention behaviors. Based on prior literature, users’ threat perception is suggested as a moderating variable that can maximize the effects of social presence. To test these hypotheses, we conducted a 2 (social presence: present vs. absent) × 2 (threat: high vs. low) between-subjects factorial online experiment (N = 280). The results confirmed significant, positive effects of social presence on both normative beliefs. The effects of social presence were found to be stronger for participants in high threat conditions. Increased subjective norms led to more positive behavioral intentions toward global warming prevention actions.