When Are Loss Frames More Effective in Climate Change Communication? An Application of Fear Appeal Theory

Scott T. Armbruster, Rajesh V. Manchanda and Ngan Vo
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Scott T. Armbruster: Department of Marketing, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V4, Canada
Rajesh V. Manchanda: Department of Marketing, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V4, Canada
Ngan Vo: Department of Marketing, Asper School of Business, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3T 5V4, Canada

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 12, 1-16

Abstract: This study investigated how goal frames (gain, non-loss, loss) either with or without efficacy statements affect consumers’ support for climate-change policy. Addressing the goal-framing literature’s difficulty in establishing a guiding theory with consistent findings, we (1) propose fear appeal theory as an alternative framework to guide goal-framing research; (2) test five fear appeal variables (fear, perceived threat, hope, perceived efficacy, and message processing) as mediators of goal-framing effects on policy support; and (3) highlight four common goal-framing confounds that may partly underlie the literature’s inconsistent findings. Aligning with fear appeal theory, results from a carefully controlled experiment revealed that a more threatening loss frame paired with an efficacy statement produced the strongest pro-policy attitudes and the greatest willingness-to-pay by successfully balancing fear/threat with hope/efficacy and by producing deeper message processing.

Keywords: message framing; gain and loss framing; fear appeal theory; extended parallel process model; climate change communication; consumer behaviour (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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