Messaging for environmental action: The role of moral framing and message source

Hurst, Kristin; Stern, Marc J.

doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2020.101394

Cited by 61 publications

(95 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Argument framing in terms of liberal and conservative values and moral foundations did not influence the evaluation of Energy Act arguments, but did influence participants' attitudes as a function of political ideology. Our findings support previous research on argument framing [28,29,37,49,50], even though the framing effects observed here were relatively small in size. Small effect sizes may be due to the timing of data collection close to the public vote.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

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Ideology as Filter: Motivated Information Processing and Decision-Making in the Energy Domain

et al. 2020

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The transition towards more renewable energy will substantially increase voters’ involvement in the political decision-making process in the energy domain. Decisions such as whether to approve or reject large-scale energy programs can be complex, especially when available information cues are numerous and conflicting. Here, we hypothesize that political ideology is a strong determinant in this process, serving as a filter that voters apply when evaluating the relevance of provided information cues. We tested this hypothesis in the context of the 2017 Public Vote on the Swiss Energy Act. A sample of n = 931 Swiss voters were presented with arguments in favor or against the Energy Act, which were framed in terms of values found to be relevant for liberal and conservative ideologies, respectively. Political ideology strongly determined individual attitudes and voting preferences. Political ideology moreover moderated the influence of information provision on decisions, in that arguments congruent with voters’ political ideology were more likely to be evaluated as personally relevant and integrated into their decisions. We discuss the implications of our findings for measures on how to address ideology-based decision-making in order to ensure a well-informed electorate.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…We moreover expected that the influence of political ideology on attitudes and voting preferences towards the Energy Act is moderated by the framing of information on the Energy Act in terms of liberal versus conservative values and moral foundations [29,37,49,50]. Our assumption was formalized in Hypothesis 2: Hypothesis 2a-b.…”

Section: Hypothesesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ideology as Filter: Motivated Information Processing and Decision-Making in the Energy Domain

et al. 2020

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“…18,34,85 Although few messengers have the same authority as the Pope does for Catholics, it is still likely that other trusted ingroup leaders and organizations will be influential in advocating for the moral obligation to care for the environment and address climate change. 86 Research is needed to confirm (1) how long the effects of moral-matching messages last and (2) how well they resist opposing information over time. 11,50 engaging in climate solutions if they perceived climate change as a proximate threat requiring systemic solutions, considered it to be a moral issue, and envisioned it as a system of interconnected causes and effects.…”

Section: An Interconnected Systemmentioning

confidence: 99%

Leveraging Social Science to Generate Lasting Engagement with Climate Change Solutions

2020

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“…Moral foundations and values theory can help practitioners frame messaging in less polarizing ways and find common core beliefs that run deeper than the seeming issue at hand, encouraging participants to see others as moral people rather than adversaries. For more detail and specific examples about moral framing, see Feinberg and Willer (2013), Haidt (2012), Hurst and Stern (2020), Hurst et al (2020), Kidwell, Farmer, and Hardesty (2013), Stern (2018), and Wolsko et al (2016).…”

Section: Applying Trust Identity and Power To Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

An understanding of trust, identity, and power can enhance equitable and resilient conservation partnerships and processes

Dietsch

Wald

Stern

et al. 2021

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Conservation practitioners regularly engage in partnerships and processes to develop and achieve important conservation goals aimed at alleviating the biodiversity crisis. These processes, and the partnerships needed for success, are subject to complex social dynamics that can result in negative outcomes if not well understood and addressed. As an illustration, a heavy reliance on authoritybased power in a conservation process could lead to alliances with some groups and alienation of others. Such ingroup/outgroup dynamics can prompt threats to one's identity and distrust of others, which may lead to disengagement or active blocking of progress toward goals (e.g., legal action). To support practitioners in addressing the biodiversity crisis, we review key concepts and theory from the literature in relation to how trust, identity, and power operate in the context of conservation partnerships and processes. We further offer a list of considerations for conservation practitioners seeking to co-develop goals that are achievable, equitable, and responsive to the needs of diverse interests, as well as sustainable over time given shifting social and ecological conditions.

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Messaging for environmental action: The role of moral framing and message source

Cited by 61 publications

References 23 publications

Ideology as Filter: Motivated Information Processing and Decision-Making in the Energy Domain

Ideology as Filter: Motivated Information Processing and Decision-Making in the Energy Domain

Leveraging Social Science to Generate Lasting Engagement with Climate Change Solutions

An understanding of trust, identity, and power can enhance equitable and resilient conservation partnerships and processes

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