The role of psychological variables in developing effective climate change message frames

With respect to climate change communication, some persuasive messages are more effective than others in increasing climate change mitigation and adaptation. Research within environmental and social psychology suggests that this may be due to the psychological characteristics of the target audience, as these psychological variables systematically impact how one perceives and reacts to persuasive communications. This chapter provides an overview of this growing literature, demonstrating how individual differences in four key psychological variables (climate change beliefs, values and moral foundations, identity and political ideologies) are often been associated with climate change-related outcomes and frequently contribute to the effectiveness of climate change message frames. The chapter ends by outlining recommendations based on this literature for developing effective climate change communications that acknowledge the target audiences’ potential psychological differences.