Develop your communications strategy based on an understanding of how your target audiences make decisions. This blog post outlines how to do this via mapping out your communications “ecosystem.” The recommended steps include identifying “headwinds” and “tailwinds,” considering external and internal influences, and identifying and assessing potential windows of opportunity.             

Key findings of a survey (phone and online) of US voters, with oversamples in key states include:​

• Voters across the political spectrum overwhelmingly support government investments in clean energy technologies in order to rebuild the economy (77%), create good jobs (76%), and eliminate the carbon emissions that cause climate change (75%). 
• There's a widespread belief (75%) that investing in clean energy technologies will have economic benefits – including for "regular people." 
• And also that by developing new clean technologies, we can replace many of the manufacturing and other blue-collar jobs that the country has lost over the last few decades (72%)
• Strong support for various approaches to boost and develop specific clean energy technologies such as clean steel and cement, clean jet fuels, and energy storage and transmission.
• Voters support investing $75 billion in clean energy tech RD&D as part of the upcoming infrastructure bill.         

Target Millennials and Gen Z. This survey finds that people born 1981 to 1996 (Millennials) and after 1996 (Generation Z) are especially anxious, motivated and angry about climate change. They talk about the issue more, engage with climate content more on social media, and are more likely than older Americans to take climate action. The survey, conducted in April 2021, also reveals that 50 percent of Americans experienced extreme weather in the past year.             

When it comes to running a campaign that will build power, persuade targets, and win, the first and most important step is to design for success. Here are nine essential considerations for how to design a campaign plan that “considers the evidence” at each step of the planning process. And remember: it’s not a plan unless it’s written down! Includes guidance on:

• Developing a guiding vision and set of values for the campaign
• Selecting the right targets to pressure and influence
• Integrating equity into every step of the planning
• Developing a strong audience-centered communications strategy
• And more!

The end of the 2010s also marked the rise of the youth activist in American politics, and nowhere has that impact been felt more than in the climate movement. Whether it’s been Greta Thunberg of Fridays for the Future, Varshini Prakash of the Sunrise Movement, or youth activists at your neighborhood school, young people have leapt into the fray as powerful moral and policy-minded leaders in the fight for climate action. Check out this tipsheet to learn more about what drives youth climate activist, the cultural context they arise from, and ways to support and grow their power.

Politics & Global Warming, December 2020

This resource looks at where Black audiences are when they are online and how they act when they get there. This goes beyond reliance on polls and surveys to create a more complete picture of the culture people are consuming, creating and being inspired by. Key takeaways include the identification of five distinct Black audiences: Strivers, Planners, Learners, Gamers, and Bootstrapers, along with the most popular platforms (Google and YouTube) and the fact that most Black people are getting COVID news from mainstream and left-leaning outlets on their desktops.          

An overwhelming majority of Maine voters are concerned about the impacts of climate change, with degree of concern largely breaking down along party lines. 77% of respondents said they were concerned about the impacts of the changing climate, with 47% saying they were “very concerned.” 

Different parts of the country see various kinds of extreme weather as most concerning, perceptions which are largely in line with actual major disasters that have occurred in those regions. This report provides concern profiles for the 18 largest states, drawing on survey data from 2018 and 2019. Over half of Americans see such extreme weather events posting a high or moderate risk to their community in the coming decade, and two thirds see a climate link to US weather (though only a third think climate affects our weather "a lot").

Social science, field research, and polling suggest seven tried and true climate change communication approaches:

• When to use "Global Warming" vs. "Climate Change"
• How to identify and find your right audience
• The inoculation approach to prepare your supporters for opposition messaging
• Why and how to emphasize scientific consensus
• The importance of peer pressure
• The careful balance between hope & threats
• The value of framing climate in terms of health