Subjective Attribution of Infectious Disease Outbreaks to Climate Change is Associated with Mitigation Behavioural Intentions and COVID-19 Recovery Policy Support

Abstract

Scholars argue that personal experience with climate change related impacts has the potential to increase public engagement. Yet, previous studies, which have almost exclusively focussed on experience with extreme weather events, provide mixed results. Based on experiential learning and attribution theory, this article argues that unless individuals’ attribute an event as related to or caused by climate change, their responses may be misdirected. Results based on survey data from a nationally representative sample of the New Zealand public indicates that subjective attribution of infectious disease outbreaks to climate change and to the human impact on the environment is positively associated with mitigation behavioural intentions and policy support. In addition, political affiliation moderates the relationship between subjective attribution and mitigation policy support, indicating a higher potential for right-leaning compared to moderates or left-leaning respondents to learn about climate change through health-related climate change impacts. Helping people understand the role of human impact on the environment and climate change in infectious disease outbreaks is likely to increase public engagement.