The (non)effect of personalization in climate texts on credibility of climate scientists

Abstract

Abstract. How we communicate about climate change affects how others think, feel and act. Therefore, the way climate scientists formulate messages is important. In this study, we assess the effect of personalization, operationalized as writing in a conversational style, as previously done by Ginns and Fraser (2010), and perceived credibility of climate scientists. We exposed hundred participants aged between 18 and 35 to three conditions of a text on the climate impact of train versus plane travel, with varying degree of personalization, and assessed the outcome in their attitude (specifically interest and opinion) towards sustainable travel, as well as the perceived credibility of the climate scientist who wrote the text. Results show that there is a small effect in the degree of happiness after reading the different texts, but little other effects. Our main conclusion is that, although personalization may be well received by readers, it may not be the best mode to influence the attitudes of readers towards sustainable travel, nor how readers come to perceive climate scientists' credibility.