Resource Library

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)
 

While adding injustice messaging did not consistently improve performance over their existing messaging (which employs shared identity and efficacy elements) for republicEn’s conservative audience, research revealed several promising techniques for how best to optimize injustice messaging for conservatives going forward (such as by generating anger and emphasizing unfairly distribute health impacts).
 

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.

The Climate Advocacy Lab is excited to pilot a 4-Day Workweek because we believe in the sustainability of our people as well as the planet. The Lab team feels deeply privileged to do work in service of our mission: to equip the US climate movement with the evidence-based insights, skills, and connections needed to build durable power and win equitable solutions.
However (as you all know well) working in the climate movement means we absorb an extreme level of anxiety-provoking news and grapple daily with existential questions about our place in this world and long-term viability of our planet. These threats and anxieties are even greater, of course, for our friends and colleagues working on the frontlines, dealing with the pain and trauma of too many intersecting crises. The ongoing pandemic has forced all of us to re-evaluate the boundaries between work and rest — as well as the balance between professional development and professional sustainability. As a result of exploring different models for how the Lab works toward our mission that allows us to consider the long-term health of our team, we have decided to pilot a Monday-Thursday four-day workweek (4DWW).