Resource Type: Social Science Research

To engage conservatives with climate information, use credible, non-partisan sources, clear graphics, and motivate them to accurately learn. This study found conservatives were able to accurately process climate information in graph-form, and they were persuaded if a non-political context could be maintained. For liberals, presenting climate information from Obama was more persuasive than from a NASA source. Without a graph, there was no difference between these messengers for conservatives.             

     
Review of research on the equity implications of a clean energy transition (how such a transition could negatively impact some groups and communities), and ‘just transition’ policies meant to abate those effects. The literature suggests that energy and climate policies and programs must specifically embed equity and social justice within climate change mitigation goals and emphasize commitments to job training and economic development to support those folks adversely affected by the transition away from fossil fuels to new, renewable sources of energy. (As Climate Justice Alliance phrases it, “Transition is inevitable. Justice is not.”)    

This conversation with author and University of Pennsylvania professor Daniel Q. Gillion examines the history of protests in America and how they’ve inspired actual policy change.

This review of social science research suggests best practices for crafting viral content, and strategies for creating and placing it.

Frames that include social and economic reforms increase public support for climate change mitigation. Combining increased minimum wage, affordable housing with job guarantees are effective frames, particularly among people of color. Advocates should consider linking climate policy to social and economic reforms. Policy bundling can expand the scope of political discussion and sidestep gridlock. In a series of experiments, the authors find that compared to frames that did not include any economic policy, hypothetical proposals that included a job guarantee, the retraining of fossil fuel workers, or provide unionized clean energy jobs increases support for the bundled policy by 6-14 percentage points.  Importantly: while the increase in support was higher for Democrats, NONE of the economic frames was associated with a decrease in support among Republicans.