Resource Center

Highlighting the positive voting records of environmentally-friendly legislators may be an effective strategy for solidifying support for them. But don’t expect such “accountability” messages to boost election turnout; and conversely, don’t expect get-out-the-vote (GOTV) messages to change views of legislators. In a test of mail pieces to inconsistent Minnesota voters supportive of action on climate change, GOTV mail boosted turnout, and accountability mail (highlighting the voting record of elected legislators on several conservation issues) affected views of legislators and the legislature, but not visa versa. The accountability mailers did not appear to increase turnout. And the GOTV mail did not have persuasive effects

Climate change is a low-salience issue among most Americans, and efforts to address the issue have faced social inertia – that is the “cultural, institutional, and individual processes that inhibit actions.” This article puts forward an integrated framework for approaching social inertia, drawing on efforts to address cultural traumas. This framework includes actions at the individual level to reshape daily habits; at the institutional level, around collective routines; and at the ideological level to support social movements.