Understanding the effects of partisan identity on climate change

Abstract

Partisan and ideological identities are a consistent barrier to the adoption of climate change mitigation policies, especially in countries where fossil fuel reliance is the highest. We review how understanding collective cognition may help overcome such barriers by changing norms, promoting cooperation, downplaying partisan identities, or leveraging other identities to promote pro-climate change beliefs and behaviors. We also highlight several gaps in the literature and lay out a brief roadmap for future research. This review highlights the important role that social identity plays, both in terms of a barrier and a potential solution, in aid of promoting climate change mitigation. We also propose several key areas where research is lacking, and identify specific future directions.

Tipping pro-environmental norm diffusion at scale: opportunities and limitations

“…This is the case when a specific behaviour conflicts with social identities widely held in society (Mccright & Dunlap, 2011;Kahan, 2012Kahan, , 2017Rinscheid et al, 2020). Cutting the link between the target behaviour and the social identities involved is then a precondition for a pro-environmental norm to spread through the entire population (Doell et al, 2021).…”

“…Tipping the diffusion of climateprotecting behaviours among Democrats may be quite feasible, but these behaviours are unlikely to spill over from Democrats to Republicans under pronounced political polarization. In this case, cutting the link between climate change mitigation and Republican identity is a precondition for tipping (Doell et al, 2021).…”

Climate policy support as a tool to control others’ (but not own) environmental behavior?

“…Future work might test whether communication on current insufficiencies in environmental behavior can be combined with collective efficacy or shared identity messages, which have been shown to promote pro-environmental behavior [ 85 ]. Indeed, previous authors (e.g., [ 86 ]) have argued that "social nudges," that is, nudges that inform and raise normative concerns about others’ behavior, are among the most effective in inciting desirable behavior change.…”

Addressing the climate crisis: An action plan for psychologists (summary).

“…What people believe and think about climate change and how to respond to it is key to the success of mitigation and adaptation initiatives and to the adoption and implementation of effective climate policies. Psychologists are engaged in assessments of the public’s understanding and attitudes regarding climate change, how people’s views vary across demographic groups, what factors influence their views, and how their views are related to changes in behavior (Ballew et al, 2019; Doell et al, 2021; Milfont, Zubielevitch, et al, 2021; Priestley et al, 2021; Shi et al, 2016).…”

“…In the United States, a majority of the population perceives climate change to be a significant issue and favors government action to address it (Ballew et al, 2019; Tyson & Kennedy, 2020). However, political polarization within the U.S. system has prevented adoption of policies and programs that have adequate impact and scope (Doell et al, 2021; Jenkins-Smith et al, 2020; Mildenberger, 2020).…”