Audience: Rural

Learn how to improve engagement and mobilization using the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (SIMCA). In 2021, the Lab kicked off a round of research project collaborations to study how climate, clean energy, and climate justice organizations can leverage SIMCA to better engage their bases. SIMCA tells us that people participate in collective action when they feel that their social group is experiencing injustice because of an issue, they strongly identify with that group, and/or they feel that acting together could have an impact (that is, a sense of collective efficacy). These research projects found that using SIMCA-informed messaging tended to perform as we as or better than existing approaches, though the specific context of each implementation context was important for determining exactly this played out. (Also see our practical guide for integrating SIMCA into climate engagement programs)
 

Emphasizing a shared identity improved engagement with social media advertising among Illinois farmers, and may have doubled action taking, compared to standard messaging. Social scientists have developed a model for social movement participation known as the Social Identity Model of Collective Action (SIMCA). This model suggests that shared identity is one of the key elements motivating people to participate in collective action. Testing of Facebook ads targeted at Illinois farmers found those emphasizing shared identity had a higher click through rate, lower cost per click, and may have had a higher action taking rate compared to ads that did not emphasize shared identity as strongly.

Deep canvassing increases support for climate change action in rural British Columbia. The Neighbours United Project, an initiative of the West Kootenay EcoSociety, has shown that deep canvassing and storytelling can persuade on climate in a frontline, rural, industrial community in British Columbia. Successful deep canvassing requires the right script, trained canvassers (staff or volunteers), and a supportive organizational culture. When knocking on doors to have conversations with people, canvassers followed six steps: surface conflicted feelings, connect and acknowledge identity, share a personal story, make the case and help the voter process, understand the impact of the conversation, and make the campaign ask. One overall conclusion is that increasing a sense of government efficacy and support for government action on climate change could be key to moving citizens on climate change.

Integrated, year-round community organizing is necessary to create people-powered political representation in the Midwest. Midwestern state economies have destabilized, and this has caused shifting politics, such as formerly Democratic or swing states now voting mostly for Republicans. This report dispels multiple myths about Midwestern politics, such as: some states swung irreversibly to the right; Midwest states can be won either by engaging only people of color, or by frantically chasing white Obama/Trump voters; retail politics can work in the Midwest by “treating” white voters with messages about the economy and Black voters with messages about race, while ignoring Native, Latino, AAPI, and other voters; and we can win Presidential, US Senate, or Gubernatorial races by dumping billions of dollars into paid advertisements each cycle, rather than building the human capacity to lead and govern. This report argues for intentionally, consistently organizing people into membership organizations, unions, and community institutions in order to move constituencies of people into political action and create political homes. Overall, this report argues for “state ecosystems” of democratically accountable movement groups to engage in electoral politics.