DCU Centre for Climate and Society inaugural conference

DCU and TCD researchers launch EPA report examining climate change beliefs

26/11/2024

The report commissioned by the EPA's behavioural insights unit investigates attitudes to climate change using a person-centred framework. This means the individual is thought of as being at the core of a set of interacting systems, from their family and peers up to the wider community and government.

The review recommends that climate change communication should be tailored to specific demographic groups. Work may need to be completed to better communicate the human-driven nature of climate change to older and male populations.

The report was authored by Dublin City University researhers Dr Ashling Bourke, Salam Jabbour, Aisling Martin, Lauren Walsh, and Dr Kristin Hadfield from Trinity College Dublin.

The report explores beliefs about climate change and highlights the key factors that influence our attitudes towards it. At the heart of this exploration is the recognition that human activity significantly influences climate change. This means that individual actions, and the internal processes driving these actions, are critical to addressing environmental challenges.

This review is underpinned by Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological Systems Theory. ItThe review explores beliefs about climate change and highlights the key factors that influence our attitudes towards climate changeit. At the heart of this exploration is the recognition that human activity significantly influences climate change. This means that individual actions, and the internal processes driving these actions, are critical to addressing environmental challenges. Humans made the problems, and humans can solve them too.

The report made a range of other findings:

Acceptance of the science on climate change is high across Europe, but understanding or acceptance of the human-driven nature of climate change is much lower.
Political beliefs are also likely to impact what people believe about climate change.
Women consistently exhibit greater concern about climate change than men.
The review also shows that we hold similar attitudes to those close to us – our parents, partners, friends, highlighting the potential for using immediate social circles for the support and implementation of climate change communication and policy.
For the most part, younger individuals were more likely to hold a higher belief in human caused climate change. However, this wasn’t a consistent finding, and some studies showed that older were less likely to be sceptical about climate change.
Acceptance of the science on climate change is high across Europe, but understanding or acceptance of the human-driven nature of climate change is much lower. Your political beliefs are also likely to impact what you believe about climate change.
Across Europe, most evidence on climate change attitudes is of poor quality and needs to be improved. For example, longitudinal research, and research with child and adolescent populations, is needed to determine HOW we form our attitudes towards climate.