A 27-country test of communicating the scientific consensus on climate change

Bojana Većkalov, Sandra J. Geiger (), František Bartoš, Mathew P. White, Bastiaan T. Rutjens, Frenk Harreveld, Federica Stablum, Berkan Akın, Alaa Aldoh, Jinhao Bai, Frida Berglund, Aleša Bratina Zimic, Margaret Broyles, Andrea Catania, Airu Chen, Magdalena Chorzępa, Eman Farahat, Jakob Götz, Bat Hoter-Ishay, Gesine Jordan, Siri Joustra, Jonas Klingebiel, Živa Krajnc, Antonia Krug, Thomas Lind Andersen, Johanna Löloff, Divya Natarajan, Sasha Newman-Oktan, Elena Niehoff, Celeste Paerels, Rachel Papirmeister, Steven Peregrina, Felicia Pohl, Amanda Remsö, Abigail Roh, Binahayati Rusyidi, Justus Schmidt, Mariam Shavgulidze, Valentina Vellinho Nardin, Ruixiang Wang, Kelly Warner, Miranda Wattier, Chloe Y. Wong, Mariem Younssi, Kai Ruggeri () and Sander Linden
Additional contact information
Bojana Većkalov: University of Amsterdam
Sandra J. Geiger: University of Vienna
František Bartoš: University of Amsterdam
Mathew P. White: University of Vienna
Bastiaan T. Rutjens: University of Amsterdam
Frenk Harreveld: University of Amsterdam
Federica Stablum: Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science
Berkan Akın: University of Amsterdam
Alaa Aldoh: University of Amsterdam
Jinhao Bai: Tel Aviv University
Frida Berglund: Uppsala University
Aleša Bratina Zimic: Sapienza University of Rome
Margaret Broyles: Columbia University
Andrea Catania: University of Malta
Airu Chen: Columbia University
Magdalena Chorzępa: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Eman Farahat: University of Warwick
Jakob Götz: Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Bat Hoter-Ishay: Columbia University
Gesine Jordan: University of Luxembourg
Siri Joustra: Radboud University
Jonas Klingebiel: Columbia University
Živa Krajnc: University of Ljubljana
Antonia Krug: University of Innsbruck
Thomas Lind Andersen: Copenhagen University Hospital—Mental Health Services CPH
Johanna Löloff: Heidelberg University
Divya Natarajan: Columbia University
Sasha Newman-Oktan: Columbia University
Elena Niehoff: Wageningen University & Research
Celeste Paerels: Columbia University
Rachel Papirmeister: Columbia University
Steven Peregrina: Columbia University
Felicia Pohl: University of Warsaw
Amanda Remsö: Kristianstad University
Abigail Roh: Columbia University
Binahayati Rusyidi: Universitas Padjadjaran
Justus Schmidt: School of Social Sciences
Mariam Shavgulidze: Eötvös Loránd University
Valentina Vellinho Nardin: University of Porto
Ruixiang Wang: Columbia University
Kelly Warner: Columbia University
Miranda Wattier: Columbia University
Chloe Y. Wong: Columbia University
Mariem Younssi: Université Côte d’Azur
Kai Ruggeri: Columbia University
Sander Linden: University of Cambridge

Nature Human Behaviour, 2024, vol. 8, issue 10, 1892-1905

Abstract: Abstract Communicating the scientific consensus that human-caused climate change is real increases climate change beliefs, worry and support for public action in the United States. In this preregistered experiment, we tested two scientific consensus messages, a classic message on the reality of human-caused climate change and an updated message additionally emphasizing scientific agreement that climate change is a crisis. Across online convenience samples from 27 countries (n = 10,527), the classic message substantially reduces misperceptions (d = 0.47, 95% CI (0.41, 0.52)) and slightly increases climate change beliefs (from d = 0.06, 95% CI (0.01, 0.11) to d = 0.10, 95% CI (0.04, 0.15)) and worry (d = 0.05, 95% CI (−0.01, 0.10)) but not support for public action directly. The updated message is equally effective but provides no added value. Both messages are more effective for audiences with lower message familiarity and higher misperceptions, including those with lower trust in climate scientists and right-leaning ideologies. Overall, scientific consensus messaging is an effective, non-polarizing tool for changing misperceptions, beliefs and worry across different audiences.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41562-024-01928-2

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