Emotional Support and Opposition for National Environmental Policies in the UK

Benedict Hignell, Zorzeta Bakaki and Elia Valentini ()
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Benedict Hignell: Institute for Social and Economic Research, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
Zorzeta Bakaki: Department of Government, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
Elia Valentini: Department of Psychology, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK

Social Sciences, 2025, vol. 14, issue 11, 1-20

Abstract: Understanding affective responses to the climate and ecological emergency is essential for developing and ensuring compliance with mitigation policies. Previous evidence indicates that individuals feeling negative emotions about the state of nature and the climate are more likely to show greater support for environmental policy. This study investigates which of twenty distinct emotions predict attitudes towards nationally relevant UK environmental policies, with specific hypotheses differentiating between unambiguous and ambiguous emotions. We conducted two cross-sectional online surveys with 651 UK residents, who rated their support for three policy sets: the Conservative Government’s manifesto, the Climate and Ecology Bill, and the Green New Deal Bill. By integrating theoretical expectations with exploratory analysis, we found that higher levels of worry and horror predicted greater policy support, whereas boredom predicted opposition. Our analytical strategy underscores the importance of integrating both a priori and explorative models to enhance statistical sensitivity, thereby capturing a broader spectrum of affective states that might otherwise be overlooked but may be crucial for designing targeted interventions. These findings suggest that policymakers can leverage specific emotions, such as worry, to foster support, while addressing boredom to mitigate resistance, thereby enhancing the effectiveness of environmental communication and interventions.

Keywords: affective state; climate; emotion; nature; policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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