Combining threat and efficacy messaging to increase public engagement with climate change in Beijing, China

Xue, Wen; Hine, Donald W.; Marks, Anthony D. G.; Phillips, Wendy J.; Nunn, Patrick D.; Zhao, Shengchuan

doi:10.1007/s10584-016-1678-1

Cited by 46 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 25 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…This implies that audiences' attributes might be a set of potential moderators in the relationship between media attention and behavioral intention. Correspondingly, empirical research revealed that the combination of threat and efficacy messages could be a motivator as well as an inhibitor for different groups of people [17,18]. These findings suggest a necessity of making an in-depth examination of how the relationships between media attention and behavioral intention vary among different groups of people.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…The literature on behavioral change suggests that the effectiveness of media messages varies among people with different attributes. For instance, a recent study on public engagement with climate change reported that high efficacy messages were less effective for viewers with strong ecocentrism worldview [18]. In addition, another study on health behavior reported that self-affirmation could moderate the impact of variables in the EPPM on behavioral intention [17].…”

Section: Interaction Of Personal and Media Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Personal and Media Factors Related to Citizens’ Pro-environmental Behavioral Intention against Haze in China: A Moderating Analysis of TPB

Yang

Chen

Wei

et al. 2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This study extends the theory of planned behavior by taking communication factors into account to examine the determinants of pro-environmental behavioral intention in haze mitigation. Unlike other theory of planned behavior (TPB) extension studies, we shift the focus of inquiry from examining the mediating role of TPB variables to investigating the moderating role in promoting pro-environmental behavior. Using an online survey in China, the results indicated that attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and attention to haze-related efficacy messages were positively associated with pro-environmental behavioral intention. Notably, attention to haze-related threat messages had no significant relationship with behavioral intention. Moreover, moderation analyses revealed that the interaction effects between attention to efficacy messages and attention to threat messages on behavioral intention vary among people with different attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Theoretically, this study contributes to the literature of the TPB by analyzing its moderating role in promoting behavior change. Findings from this study suggest the importance of disseminating distinctive media messages to audiences with different personality traits, which is beneficial for practitioners to tailor specific messages in environmental campaigns.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Interaction Of Personal and Media Factorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personal and Media Factors Related to Citizens’ Pro-environmental Behavioral Intention against Haze in China: A Moderating Analysis of TPB

Yang

Chen

Wei

et al. 2020

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Additionally, other research suggests that highlighting individual or collective ability to contribute to climate change mitigation could also lead to an increase in climate change engagement (Ahn, Fox, Dale, & Avant, ; Morton, Rabinovich, Marshall, & Bretschneider, ). Synthesizing these two lines of research, it was also found that messages emphasizing both risk and efficacy information trigger stronger mitigation intention than those illustrating the risks of climate change only (Xue et al., ).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk or Efficacy? How Psychological Distance Influences Climate Change Engagement

Chu

Yang

2020

Risk Analysis

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Construal-level theory suggests that high-level abstract features weigh more in people's decision-making at farther distance, while low-level concrete features weigh more at closer distance. Based on this, we propose that psychological distance will influence the effect of risk versus efficacy framing on climate change engagement. In particular, risk perception related to the end-state expectancy of climate change mitigation should influence people's climate change engagement at farther distance. In contrast, efficacy perception related to the perceived feasibility of attaining end-state goals should influence engagement at closer distance. Results from an experimental survey based on a national sample that is both demographically and geographically representative (N = 1,282) supported our proposition. At closer spatial distance, perceived efficacy boosted by efficacy framing increased participants' intention to perform climate mitigation behaviors. In contrast, at farther distance, risk framing increased behavioral intention through heightened risk perception. Based on these findings, we suggest that when communicating distant and abstract risks, highlighting their disastrous impacts may better motivate action. In contrast, when communicating impending and concrete risks, stressing the feasibility of action may have stronger motivational potential.

show abstract

“…Such research also emphasises the use of the combination of PARDON ET AL. : ONE SIZE FITS NONE these factors for ultimate success (Hart and Feldman 2014;Perrault and Clark 2018;Xue et al 2016;Li 2014).…”

Section: The Eppm and Environmental Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

One Size Fits None: Tailoring Messages to Communicate Environmental Threats

Pardon¹,

Swinbourne²,

McShane³

2019

The International Journal of Environmental Sustainability

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This research aimed to understand peoples' perceptions of environmental threats to inform threat message construction and branch away from the previous "one size fits all" approach to environmental campaigns. The study used a health decision making model (Extended Parallel Process Model) to cluster individuals based on common cognitive characteristics. The research focused on the context of water security in the drought declared region of Townsville, North Queensland (Australia), where water use was monitored and restricted. A sample of 363 participants was recruited from this region. Participants completed an online survey which asked questions relating to water usage behaviours, perceptions relating to how the water restrictions were communicated, as well as the concerns regarding water security at the time and in the future. Three cluster groups were constructed based on EPPM variables (perceived self-efficacy, perceived response-efficacy, and perceived threat). Each group was significantly different in terms of levels of water-saving behaviour. This research informs a more targeted approach to the communication of environmental threats, such a drought, with the aim of increasing the sustainability of the natural resource.

show abstract

Combining threat and efficacy messaging to increase public engagement with climate change in Beijing, China

Cited by 46 publications

References 25 publications

Personal and Media Factors Related to Citizens’ Pro-environmental Behavioral Intention against Haze in China: A Moderating Analysis of TPB

Personal and Media Factors Related to Citizens’ Pro-environmental Behavioral Intention against Haze in China: A Moderating Analysis of TPB

Risk or Efficacy? How Psychological Distance Influences Climate Change Engagement

One Size Fits None: Tailoring Messages to Communicate Environmental Threats

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About