Psychological barriers and climate change action: The role of ideologies and worldviews as barriers to behavioural intentions

• Main Author: Nína María Saviolidis 1984-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2014
• Subjects: Umhverfis- og auðlindafræði; Sálfræði; Umhverfismál; Stjórnmál; Loftslagsbreytingar; Umhverfisáhrif; Bain; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/19862

This thesis is in two parts: the first part is a literature review and the second part is a research report. In the literature review climate change is presented as an issue of top priority that (to date) has not been effectively addressed despite the potentially dire consequences to all life on the planet. In spite of the increased public awareness, knowledge, and concern we still have not seen widespread action on behalf of individuals either in their role as consumers or in their role as citizens. The discussion addresses possible reasons for this inaction on behalf of the public tracing the role of increased politicization of climate science to the role of ideologies and worldviews in shaping views about climate change. Finally, pro-environmental behaviour is discussed: how to define it, its subcategories and the tension between individual sphere actions and political participation as a way to address climate change. The research report is based on a cross-sectional, questionnaire study of University of Iceland students (N=365) and examines the effect of several ideologies on individuals’ intentions to act in a pro-environmental manner and in their acceptance of costly policies to address climate change. The data for the research report was collected for a large cross-cultural research project, with a different research aim, called “Society and Climate Change” by Paul Bain and colleagues. Through a series of multiple regression analyses we find support for the significance and relative strength of the associations between the ideologies and the behavioural categories. Simultaneous testing in two structural models finds mixed support for our hypotheses of the specific contributions of each ideology to each behavioural category. The study indicates that ideologies and worldviews will have to be considered in the design of public persuasion campaigns in the future.