Psychological Distance Of Climate Change Research Articles

Multi-decadal climate services help farmers assess and manage future risks

Climate services can support on-farm decisions, yet this potential is currently not fully realized. Here, using a participatory qualitative risk analysis framework, we introduced 24 Australian farmers to My Climate View, an Australian online, multi-decadal climate service, and asked them to identify, assess and discuss management of long-term risks in light of its projections. We found that multi-decadal projections can help farmers to better understand future climate risks, potentially reducing the psychological distance of climate change. The use of long-term climate projections, however, can be impeded by lack of confidence in data, so leveraging the expertise of trusted service providers may help boost farmers’ confidence. Finally, though climate services providing multi-decadal projections can help farmers to identify future climate risks, they require interactive and recurring engagement to turn awareness into action.

‘I Do It for Others’! Prosocial Reasons for Complying with Anti-COVID Measures and Pro-Environmental Behaviours: The Mediating Role of the Psychological Distance of Climate Change

The present study examined whether prosocial reasons to comply with anti-COVID measures were related to pro-environmental behaviours (PEB), as both have in common that they were/are mostly performed to help others. We investigated two mediating psychological mechanisms: perceived interdependencies between the self and others, and reduced climate change psychological distance. Latent class analyses applied to data from an online study conducted in France, Switzerland, the UK, and Spain (Ntot = 967) revealed five different ‘environmental’ profiles. Path models showed that prosocial reasons for complying with anti-COVID measures were related to the most congruent profiles (the ‘strongly committed’, frequent PEB/strong pro-environmental intentions, and the ‘strongly disengaged’, infrequent PEB/low intentions) through a reduced vs. heightened psychological distance of climate change. Prosocial reasons were not related to the three other profiles. However, a reduced vs. heightened psychological distance between COVID-19 and the self was related to perceived interdependencies, which were then related to the two most incongruent profiles: the ‘well-meaning’ and the ‘committed to private PEB’. We discuss these results to the extent that they inform on (a) the relevance of using a profile-approach, (b) the way to measure the psychological distance of different global crises, and (c) the relevance of pursuing research on perceived interdependencies as predictors of PEB.

The role of environmental literacy, psychological distance of climate change, and collectivism on generation Z's collaborative consumption tendency

AbstractParallel with increasing concerns about climate change and the emergence of sharing platforms, collaboration in consumption has become prominent, especially among Generation Z consumers. Drawing upon the self‐determination and construal‐level theories, the present study proposes a pioneering moderated‐mediation model that delineates Generation Z consumers' collaborative consumption tendency. Data were collected among 455 respondents in an emerging economy (i.e., Turkey) via a non‐probabilistic purposive sampling technique. Furthermore, a covariance‐based structural equation modeling was utilized to test the proposed causal relationships between environmental literacy, collaborative consumption tendency, the psychological distance of climate change, and collectivism. The study findings highlighted that environmental literacy affects collaborative consumption tendency, while the strength of the relationship is augmented for respondents who were self‐reportedly collectivists. Furthermore, the findings revealed that the psychological distance of climate change mediates the relationship between environmental literacy and collaborative consumption tendency, while the magnitude of the mediation effect is amplified in collectivist participants. Based on the empirical findings, the present study extends self‐determination and construal‐level theory while offering strategic directions and insights for sharing platform industry.

Ecotourists' intentions, worldviews, environmental values: Does climate change matter?

Although ecotourism has been widely researched, much of potential ecotourists’ characteristics, attitudes, and worldviews are still poorly understood - particularly concerning climate change. This study profiles a sample of 2733 Italians based on their intention to undertake ecotourism and to ascertain whether significant differences exist among them based on their socio-demographic characteristics, psychological distance of climate change and worldviews (i.e. materialism), and their intention to act to cope with climate change. The study identifies three clusters including high-ecotourism-intention, neutral-ecotourism-intention, and low-ecotourism-intention - significantly differing in sociodemographic characteristics (i.e. family members, level of education, occupation, occupation sector, and association membership), psychological distance, materialism, and intention to act. Potential ecotourists show themselves more sensitive and concerned towards climate change and overall, more prone to act on it. Contributions to the body of knowledge and managerial implications are discussed and suggestions for further research are given. • Three clusters were identified based on individuals' ecotourism intention. • Groups differed on sociodemographic factors, psychological distances, materialism, intention to act. • Potential ecotourists were more sensitive and concerned toward climate change. • Potential ecotourists were more prone to act on climate change.

Psychological distance, risk perception, and affect: Texas residents’ support for carbon capture and storage

Climate change poses innumerable threats to economic, social, and environmental systems. Despite our best efforts, emerging research indicates that mitigation and adaptation efforts must incorporate technologies such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) to draw carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it elsewhere. This study examines how psychological distance and perceived risk pertaining to climate change influence Texans’ support for CCS through perceived CCS costs/benefits and affect. Overall, the results indicate that perceived psychological distance of climate change influences support for CCS through risk perception about local climate change impacts, perceived CCS benefits, and affective evaluation. Political partisanship moderates the relationship between psychological distance and climate change risk perception, but not the relationship between psychological distance and support for CCS.

Construing Climate Change: Psychological Distance, Individual Difference, and Construal Level of Climate Change

ABSTRACT This study examines the influences of distance cues and individual characteristics, including trait empathy, time orientation, age, and gender, on people’s construal of climate change. A content analysis was utilized to investigate American adults’ mental construal of climate change after exposure to messages illustrating its impacts in close or distant locations and times. Results of an experiment show that far-distance messages led to increased distance perception and more abstract mental construal of the phenomenon. Further, people with lower trait empathy formed more abstract mental construals when climate change was portrayed or perceived as a distant issue. Concrete construal and close distance perception were also positively correlated with support for climate change mitigation policies. This study complements extant literature on the psychological distance of climate change by pinpointing its effects on people’s mental construal of the phenomenon and the moderating effects of individual characteristics such as trait empathy, gender, and age.

Hotel Guests' Psychological Distance of Climate Change and Environment-Friendly Behavior Intention.

Climate change is certainly a global problem that negatively affects all nations, and thus all humans, on the globe. Nevertheless, little is known about people’s perceptions of climate change and its effects on people’s attitudinal and behavioral responses to climate change. The present study successfully addressed how hotel guests’ environment-friendly behavior intention is formed through their self-perception as a member of the global community and their psychological distance of climate change. An online survey was used to collect quantitative data from hotel guests to verify the hypotheses. Our test results supported all the hypotheses in our conceptual model. Consequently, the findings of this study satisfactorily explained how hotel guests form their intention to engage in environment-friendly behaviors while they are staying at hotels.

Refining the Application of Construal Level Theory: Egocentric and Nonegocentric Psychological Distances in Climate Change Visual Communication

ABSTRACT Recent studies have found mixed evidence about the role of psychological distance of climate change in people’s engagement with the issue. To gain more clarity in the application of construal level theory of psychological distance in climate change communication, we used two online experiments to investigate how abstract and concrete construals of climate change imagery may differentially influence people’s perceived psychological distances to the issue. Specifically, we clarified the conceptual differences between two subdimensions (i.e. egocentric and nonegocentric) of psychological distance and showed how the two types differ in climate change communication. Findings also showed that concrete construals of climate change images made participants estimate less egocentric geographical, temporal, and social distances to climate change, which led to greater mitigation behavioral intentions. But this construal-level effect did not exist when participants estimated the nonegocentric distances – the perceived distances between climate change and others (i.e. other locations, other people).

Awareness of climate change's impacts and motivation to adapt are not enough to drive action: A look of Puerto Rican farmers after Hurricane Maria.

Understanding how perceptions around motivation, capacity, and climate change's impacts relate to the adoption of adaptation practices in light of experiences with extreme weather events is important in assessing farmers' adaptive capacity. However, very little of this work has occurred in islands, which may have different vulnerabilities and capacities for adaptation. Data of surveyed farmers throughout Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria (n = 405, 87% response rate) were used in a structural equation model to explore the extent to which their adoption of agricultural practices and management strategies was driven by perceptions of motivation, vulnerability, and capacity as a function of their psychological distance of climate change. Our results show that half of farmers did not adopt any practice or strategy, even though the majority perceived themselves capable and motivated to adapt to climate change, and understood their farms to be vulnerable to future extreme events. Furthermore, adoption was neither linked to these adaptation perceptions, nor to their psychological distance of climate change, which we found to be both near and far. Puerto Rican farmers' showed a broad awareness of climate change's impacts both locally and globally in different dimensions (temporal, spatial, and social), and climate distance was not linked to reported damages from Hurricane Maria or to previous extreme weather events. These results suggest that we may be reaching a tipping point for extreme events as a driver for climate belief and action, especially in places where there is a high level of climate change awareness and continued experience of compounded impacts. Further, high perceived capacity and motivation are not linked to actual adaptation behaviors, suggesting that broadening adaptation analyses beyond individual perceptions and capacities as drivers of climate adaptation may give us a better understanding of the determinants to strengthen farmers' adaptive capacity.

Climate change physiology and psychology: What can we learn from a lab-based heat exposure experiment with young adults

Background Intensive heatwaves are more frequent globally due to changing climate. There is evidence that heat exposure can not only induce acute physiological reactions, but also potentially enhance climate change belief. Theories such as “visceral fit” attempt to explain the phenomenon by proposing that feeling warm physically strengthens the belief in global warming. However, no study has yet drawn the line between physiological and psychological reactions in a lab-based heating environment. Methods Sixty-five healthy freshmen (43 females, 22 males) from Nanjing, China participated the study with 30 dollars as reward for each. Participants stayed in a climate chamber for around 2 hours, during which time temperature in the chamber climbed up from 25℃ to 40℃. Physiological signals including heart rate variability, skin temperature, blood pressure and blood oxygen saturation were recorded during the experiment. Self-reported climate change belief and psychological distance of climate change were collected from each participant before, during and after the heat exposure. Physiological and psychological data were integrated to reveal their embedded links. Results Physiological indicators reflecting human body heat stress (such as skin temperature and blood pressure) increase gradually as the chamber got warmer. However, the psychological impact of heat exposure varies between participants a lot. On group average, heat exposure reduces the psychological distance of climate change and enhances the belief, but the effect is not significant enough and disappears immediately after the heat exposure. We are planning to use the individual physiological response and other socio-economic factors to explain the variation in the next stage. Conclusions Our findings so far do not fully support the hypothesis that heat experience increase climate change belief. Many confounding variables together with temperature may lead to the change of climate change perceptions. Taking physiological responses into consideration will enrich our understanding of the mechanism behind.

The connection between hurricane impact and public response to climate change–a study of Sarasota residents one year after Hurricane Irma

Hurricane Irma struck Sarasota, Florida, in September 2017, inflicting extensive damage throughout the community. Based on data from a survey conducted one year after the hurricane, this study tests whether the perceived impact of the hurricane has brought the psychological distance of climate change closer and increased one’s belief regarding climate change. The study also investigates the connection between the belief and action of reducing climate change impact. The structural equation modeling results reveal that the perceived damage from Hurricane Irma is positively related to the public embrace of the existence and human cause of climate change. Increased belief regarding climate change can then promote activities of environmental protection. This study is among the first of its kind to investigate the perspective of local residents post Hurricane Irma. These findings contribute to the existing literature concerning public understanding of climate change after communities experience major climate extreme events. The findings also carry important policy implications about how to mobilize individual’s belief in climate change and translate that belief into action.

Emotion and the Psychological Distance of Climate Change

Anchored by construal level theory and appraisal theories of emotion, this study examines whether discrete emotions vary along with perceived psychological distance of climate change impacts. We fo...

Reducing, and bridging, the psychological distance of climate change

Science communication aims to motivate action on climate change. We examined the usefulness of two related communication strategies: proximising climate change with news focussing on local impacts, and bridging psychological distance by raising the salience of people's global identity as part of humanity. We first examined the often implicitly assumed process underlying proximising, namely reducing the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change, which in turn might make the issue more relevant for people, which in turn might promote behavioural engagement. Second, we argued that when people consider themselves as part of a global society, proximising may not be necessary as people perceive the relevance of distant impacts. We conducted an experiment with UK residents (N = 400) with two between subjects factors: proximity of communication on climate change (proximal or distant) and global identity salience (communicated or not). Communicating proximity (vs. distance) via a news text on climate change consequences for either the UK or Bangladesh reduced the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change and indirectly predicted climate protective behaviour through lower psychological socio-spatial distance and higher relevance attribution. While these indirect relations were small, stronger relations might arise if people repeatedly receive local information. Participants for whom global identity was made salient (using a video showing a man dancing with people all over the world) exhibited no decreases in evaluating the relevance of the news text as their psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change increased (compared to those who viewed a control video). This indicates that global identity salience can bridge the psychological socio-spatial distance of climate change. We conclude that it is useful to report local consequences of climate change, or to communicate global connectedness if global consequences of climate change are described.

Learning from climate change perceptions in southern African cities

Scholarly understanding of an individual’s climate change risk perception in the African context, is limited, including amongst those who have an influence on policy making. This discussion paper goes some way towards filling this gap in understanding by providing preliminary findings on concern and the psychological distance of climate change amongst policy influencers in three southern African cities (Blantyre, Harare and Gaborone). We posit that climate change is psychologically close amongst those consulted in each city and this is correlated with increased levels of concern. As psychological distance of climate change has been shown to be an indicator of willingness to act on climate change, we posit that willingness to act on climate change may be enhanced in these southern African cities and, indeed, in many African cities facing similar risks from climate change. This information should be used to nuance the way in which we engage in tackling the climate change challenge in urban Africa, recognising the potential receptiveness to act on climate change and the contextual need for concrete, solutions-based climate information.

Effects of psychological distance perception and psychological factors on pro-environmental behaviors in Taiwan: Application of construal level theory

This study applied construal level theory (CLT) to the perceived psychological distance of climate change to investigate Taiwanese people’s psychological distance perception of climate change. It also considered how this psychological distance perception of climate change and other crucial psychological factors (i.e., values, ecological worldviews, and environmental concerns) may influence people’s pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs). A national self-administered questionnaire survey was performed in Taiwan and 733 responses were analyzed empirically. Structural equation modeling analysis indicated that an individual’s altruistic values are positively related to his or her ecological worldviews. An individual’s ecological worldviews are positively related to his or her psychological distance perception of climate change and environmental concerns regarding the negative consequences of climate change. Such environmental concerns positively motivate engagement in PEBs. However, an individual’s psychological distance perception of climate change does not positively relate to his or her PEBs.

Understanding the psychological distance of climate change: The limitations of construal level theory and suggestions for alternative theoretical perspectives

Many perceive climate change to be more relevant to distant places, future times, and other people than to the here and now and oneself. This perception has sparked interest in construal level theory (CLT) as a framework to understand how the public sees climate change, and how the subjective psychological distance at which people mentally represent objects affects their decisions and actions. Although at first CLT may appear to be the ideal lens through which to investigate psychological distance, I argue that applications of the theory in explaining and predicting climate change (in)action are limited. Researchers have sometimes used CLT in ways inconsistent with its original articulation; namely, (1) when claiming that psychological distant events are less personally relevant than close events; (2) when treating psychological distance as a stable individual belief; and (3) when speculating about what happens when such beliefs change. This article identifies places where research diverges from the scope of CLT, and suggests alternative perspectives that are theoretically better suited to investigating some important and common questions. As a constructive plea for theoretically rigorous research projects and practical work, this article outlines directions for future research that should help advance the field's understanding of psychological distance in the context of climate change and make interventions more effective.

Emotion and the Psychological Distance of Climate Change

Anchored by construal level theory and appraisal theories of emotion, this study examines whether discrete emotions vary along with perceived psychological distance of climate change impacts. We found that reduced psychological distance perception led to an increase in concrete emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, and guilt. In contrast, increased psychological distance perception led to an increase in hope—an abstract emotion. Compared to anger, anxiety, and hope, fear, guilt, and shame had more limited impact on climate mitigation action and policy support. Trait empathy moderated the effect of psychological distance manipulation on distance perception and emotions.

Fast track or Slo-Mo? Public support and temporal preferences for phasing out fossil fuel cars in the United States

ABSTRACT Policies to phase out fossil fuel cars are key to averting dangerous and irreversible changes to the earth’s climate. Given the potential impacts of such policies on every-day routines and behaviours, the factors that might increase or decrease their public acceptance require investigation. Here we study the role of specific policy design features in shaping Americans’ preferences for policy proposals to phase out fossil fuel cars. In light of the urgency of action against climate change, we are specifically interested in citizens’ preferences with respect to the timing of phase-out policies. Based on a demographically representative sample of 1,520 American residents rating 24,320 hypothetical policy scenarios in a conjoint experiment, we find that Americans prefer phase-out policies to be implemented no later than 2030. Policy features other than timing are also important: higher policy costs significantly reduce public support; subsidies for alternative technologies are preferred over taxes and bans; and policy co-benefits in terms of pollution reduction increase public support only when they are substantial. The study also investigates the role of individual characteristics in shaping policy preferences, finding that perceived psychological distance of climate change and party identification influence policy preferences. The results of this study have important implications for the political feasibility of rapid decarbonization initiatives like the ‘Green New Deal’ that are now being discussed in the US and beyond. Among these is the insight that smart sequencing of policies (early implementation of subsidies for low-emission technologies, followed by tax increases and/or bans) might help ensure majority support for a fossil fuel car phase-out. Key Policy Insights On average, respondents prefer policies to phase out fossil fuel cars to take effect no later than 2030. Party identification and perceived psychological distance of climate change influence timing preferences for phase-out policies. On average, subsidies for low-emission alternatives find higher public support than hard regulations, such as increases of fossil fuels taxes and bans on new fossil fuel cars sales. Smart sequencing of subsidies for alternative technologies and hard regulations should help increase the public acceptance of a phase-out of fossil-fuel cars.

Informing climate services in Africa through climate change risk perceptions

The context for climate services in Africa is significantly different from that of developed countries, in some part due to the disproportionate impacts of climate variability already being experienced on the African continent. One approach to deepening contextual knowledge for climate services is through an understanding of climate change risk perceptions, because they have been shown to be strong drivers of pro-environmental behaviour. Climate change risk perceptions in Africa are likely to differ significantly from those of developed countries but, to date, the understanding of climate change risk perceptions is highly underdeveloped in Africa. This paper goes some way towards addressing this knowledge deficit by providing preliminary evidence with regards to the psychological distance of climate change, which is one determinant of climate change risk perceptions. We posit that climate change is reasonably psychologically close in Africa. In addition, we emphasise the importance of studying a suite of determinants of risk perceptions in order to better inform climate services. Each of the determinants of climate change risk perceptions can provide value in informing climate services, whether it be through appropriate mechanisms for collaborative practitioner engagement, timelines of relevance, the most appropriate content and format of climate information products and services and/or suitable communication and dissemination mechanisms. Through a better understanding of climate change risk perceptions, there is scope to design climate services that more readily fit the specific decision contexts of the African continent.

Abstract or concrete? The effect of climate change images on people's estimation of egocentric psychological distance.

Climate change has been widely perceived as a psychologically distant risk, largely viewed as separated from one's direct experience. Using construal-level theory, we examined how the level of abstraction and concreteness of climate change imagery affects viewers' perceived psychological distance of climate change, including spatial, temporal, social, and hypothetical (level of uncertainty) distances. Participants (n = 402) were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions, one with abstract images and one with concrete images. Results show that the abstract and concrete images successfully activated people's abstract and concrete mind-sets, respectively, and people who viewed abstract images were more likely to perceive climate change as a spatially and temporally distant issue.