Audience: Environmental 'Base'

The authors of this paper seek to clarify how African-Americans and Hispanics differ from Anglos when it comes to pro-environmental orientations, measured via a battery of questions about environmental and climate concern. Using a 2016 online survey, weighted to reflect the 2010 US Census for gender and race, the authors found that Hispanics reported higher environmental/climate beliefs than Anglos, with African-Americans in between. However, there were no significant differences among the three groups when it came to knowledge of pro-environmental behaviors, risk perceptions from climate change, or pro-environmental behavioral intentions.

The emerging body of “best practices” around peer-to-peer texting programs shared during this webinar includes: (1) Make a plan and factor in the learning curve. Create a calendar to make sure volunteer shifts match with campaign needs since it takes time for staff and volunteers to learn new technology and data processes. Don’t forget to factor in necessary training (and re-training); (2) Build personal, ongoing relationships. If possible, have the same volunteers text the same list of members and supporters to build trust and consistency in the relationship; (3) Test everything! Since the platform is relatively new, there is much to be learned – including motivating message content, layering with other modes of contact, which emojis generate the most actions, etc.; and (4) Honor opt-outs and don’t over-text.             

Online to offline movement of activists occurs with only a small fraction of online activists, but does represent a significant share (35%) of those who do become offline activists. Donors are more likely than non-donors to become regular offline activists. These are among numerous insights from a webinar that presented findings from an analysis of merged member data from seven environmental organizations and over 12 million records of members, activists, and donors. Kate Duch has prepared far more analyses than she had time to present, so you can take a look at the full “Multi-organization member engagement” project deck, too.

Use sequenced messages of fear and then hope to promote pro-climate attitudes and behaviors. People’s beliefs about climate change and subsequent willingness to act after being introduced to climate messages are affected by their emotions. Information about climate change or policies on their own are less likely to inspire action than ones framed in terms of paired messages tied to “threat” and “efficacy” (empowerment). And “emotional flow” through multiple emotions is more effective than messages that inspire only one emotion. Climate messages that evoke fear and then hope increase advocacy behavior, relative to messages that emphasize the threat of climate change alone (which are themselves more effective than totally neutral information).            

This book explores what makes movements and campaigns successful and what makes them fail using multiple examples of societal changes between 1980 and 2016 including acid rain reduction, drunk-driving reduction, LGBT marriage equality, anti-smoking, the expansion of gun rights, etc.