Mapping the climate change attitude: careless or care less?

Durdana Ovais (), Richi Simon () and Nilofar Kadeer ()
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Durdana Ovais: BSSS Institute of Advanced Studies
Richi Simon: Bhopal School of Social Sciences
Nilofar Kadeer: Bhopal School of Social Sciences

Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, 2024, vol. 26, issue 8, No 77, 21053-21072

Abstract: Abstract Is it carelessness regarding climate change knowledge or self-interested ignorance? With the consequences of climate change becoming a global issue, socio-psychological analysis becomes imperative to bring a change in attitude. The study maps the relationship between information sources, self-concern and the concern for climate change. The effect of denial as a mediating variable is investigated between information sources, self-concerns, and the perception of climate change. For this investigation, positivism was used. An exploratory descriptive study examined how information sources, self-concerns, denial, age, gender, qualification, and occupation affect climate change perspective. In July and August 2021, Google Forms were used to acquire a non-probability sample of 474 Indians. Convenience, judgement, and snowballing were employed to get the sample size. Smart PLS 3.3.2 (Smart PLS-SEM) employed partial least square–structural equation modelling. PLS-SEM confirmed the model's factors. According to the results denial completely mediates the association between self-concern and climate change perception, but not between information sources and perception of climate change. The research provides evidence that it is the care less attitude towards the environment and especially climate change that is hindering the change in behaviour of individuals. The research gives an interesting insight into the psychology of individuals. This emerging literature is particularly beneficial to understanding the reason behind failed attempts by environmentalists and scientists to bring a change in the behaviour of people. The research provides a crucial base for the direction of future efforts. As the denial of climate change is a defence strategy, the study suggests that awareness programmes should focus on this fact in order to devise approaches to bring about the desired shift in attitude and behaviour. Moreover, because self-concern increases climate change denial, narratives of policy efforts may emphasize the benefits to individuals.

Keywords: Climate change; Denial; Self-Concern; Attitude; Information sources; Behaviour (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1007/s10668-023-03518-0

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