Conservatives in the US are notoriously tricky to engage on issues such as climate change. This could be because the moral basis of environmentalism is seen as inherently liberal, or counter to their group identity.
Christopher Wolsko and colleagues from Oregon State University, USA, analysed the impact of manipulating messages appealing to the moral basis of climate-friendly actions. Across three experiments with different sets of participants, they found that making messages appeal to traditional conservative values affected participants' intentions and actions.
In particular, they found that if they suggested protecting the environment was a matter of obeying authority, defending nature and demonstrating patriotism, it shifted Conservatives' attitudes about climate change and willingness to act in an environmentally friendly way. This effect was particularly strong when participants considered the messages to be coming from members of their own Conservative in-group.
Tailoring messages to a single group can be problematic, however, the authors warn. Ultimately, a shared moral basis will be necessary to stimulate a substantial shift of environmental views and actions across the populace.
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Hope, M. Moral messages. Nature Clim Change 6, 339 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2984
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2984
