Measuring Americans' support for adapting to ‘climate change' or 'extreme weather'

Abstract

Climate communicators can use the terms climate change or extreme weather to describe climate change adaptation strategies. However, the terms might differentially affect individuals’ support for those strategies. We examined Americans’ (N = 1,558) endorsement of climate change adaptation behaviors and policies based on whether they were described using climate change or extreme weather. Republicans’ endorsement of some adaptation behaviors and policies was lower when using the term climate change compared with extreme weather, but there were no such differences among Independents and those not affiliated with a political party. In contrast, Democrats’ reported willingness to engage in collective adaptation behaviors and support for policies related to protecting natural spaces was higher when using the term climate change. The appropriateness of using climate change or extreme weather is situational depending on both the audience and the behaviors and policies being communicated.

Community perceptions of and preconditions for direct air capture in the U.S.

“…Previous research indicates that presenting climate change-related topics in locally relevant terms can increase engagement (Scannell & Gifford, 2011;Nisbet, 2009). More recently, research has shown that political polarization in the United States often leads self-identi ed Republicans to indicate lower levels of support for policies under a "climate change" frame as opposed to one of "extreme weather," whereas self-identi ed Democrats demonstrated higher favorability (Carman et al, 2022). Therefore, while the informational presentation remained identical in most respects across sites, slides providing context on CDR and why we had convened a focus group in their community were tailored to local political leanings: Bakers eld, CA, and Houston, TX, presentations included mention of climate change, whereas those for Beaver County, PA, and Rock Springs, WY, did not.…”

Changing behavioral responses to heat risk in a warming world: How can communication approaches be improved?

“…political ideology. In a national US study where participants were asked about perceptions of "extreme weather" versus "climate change," a role of political ideology was apparent (Carman et al, 2021). For collective actions such as participating in preparedness planning, the terms used made little difference for conservatives and moderates.…”

“…The beliefs of more politically liberal participants, however, were unaffected by the weather primes. Furthermore, in a US survey, political conservatives were less likely to say they would prepare an emergency kit in response to “climate change” than to “extreme weather” (Carman et al, 2021). This suggests the way that heat risks are framed in relation to climate change can be influential for groups who tend to be more skeptical of climate change.…”

“…Further to this, language used to describe climate risks (i.e., climate change vs. extreme weather) can influence certain types of responses, and this is influenced by political ideology. In a national US study where participants were asked about perceptions of “extreme weather” versus “climate change,” a role of political ideology was apparent (Carman et al, 2021). For collective actions such as participating in preparedness planning, the terms used made little difference for conservatives and moderates.…”

Climate action in the United States

“…Specific terminology or framing also affects populations differently. For example, the term climate change was more influential for democrats, while extreme weather was motivational for republicans [48].…”