Public perceptions of climate change: A social
science view
Ad
Adam
C
Corner
School of Psychology,
Psychology Cardiff University
Climate Outreach Information Network (COIN)
US public opinion – Gallop polls
Question: Do
scientists agree
CC is
occurring?
A rise in ‘scepticism’
• A complex variable
(Poortinga et al, 2011)
• Perception that
climate change had been
‘exaggerated’ (Whitmarsh,
2011)
• Not a collapse – glass
2/3 full – but still…
still
What happened in 2010?
• The ‘failure’
failure of Copenhagen?
• Cold winters?
• Economic
E
i d
downturn
t
b
beginning
i i to
t bit
bite??
• Climate science ‘controversies’?
(BBC, 2010; Leiserowitz, 2011)
Channels of communication
• ‘Elite
Elite cues
cues’ are critical – if politicians
politicians, science
communicators and the media go quiet, this
matters (Brulle et al,
al 2012)
• Climategate impacted on elite cues: in
newsrooms, on campus, and in political debates
Changing public opinion (US)
As of
Sept, 2012, 70%
believe GW is
happening – and
about half think
thi iis d
this
due tto
human activity.
Yale/George
Mason (2012)
‘Worldwide’ views (2012)
(
)
90% of
people
across 13
countries
thought
the
climate
was
changing.
What predicts views about climate
change?
h
?
• Older
Older, white men are more likely to be sceptical
(e.g. McCright & Dunlap, 2011 – also
Whitmarsh 2011)
Whitmarsh,
• Endorsement of laissez-faire
laissez faire economics predicts
climate scepticism (e.g., Lewandowsky, 2012)
• Science literacy does not predict concern
(K h
(Kahan,
2012))
Communicating climate change
• Shuckburgh et al (2012) – more participatory
engagement; culturally diverse communicators
• Rapley
Raple (2012) – a Hippocratic oath
• Re-building
b ildi trust iis iimportant – but
b h
how??
A climate communication
d dl k?
deadlock?
• Many communicators have fallen silent – and
public trust won’t grow in a vacuum
• Can’t just be ‘more science’ – need to engage
with people’s
people s values/worldviews
•N
Need
d to
t thi
think
k creatively
ti l – communicating
i ti more
than just ‘the science’?
The challenge:
• “I would feel a lot better if the scientists
said ‘II believe in my heart of hearts that
this is going to happen’” (Sutton Coldfield
focus group participant)