University of Twente Student Theses
Coping with Climate Change: Communicating Climate Change : Exploring the Impact of Communication Styles on Emotional Responses and Pro-Environmental Behaviours
Wolbert, Johanna Antonia (2024) Coping with Climate Change: Communicating Climate Change : Exploring the Impact of Communication Styles on Emotional Responses and Pro-Environmental Behaviours.
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| Abstract: | Objective: The urgency of climate change necessitates widespread adoption of environmentally friendly behaviours. However, the readiness to engage in pro-environmental actions is unevenly distributed across society. People may have varying emotions toward climate change resolution behaviors, ranging from positive to negative. These emotions may be triggered by the way in which climate change is communicated to them. This study examines whether the style of climate change communication affects individuals’ emotional responses, particularly enthusiasm, and whether these emotional responses influence pro-environmental behaviours. It was hypothesised that individuals exposed to an empathic and actionable communication style would exhibit more positive emotions towards climate change solutions and engage more in pro-environmental behaviour compared to those exposed to unproductive and disengaging communication. Methods: The study involved a sample of 113 participants who completed an online questionnaire, including the enthusiasm subscale from the ICE, the PEB inventory, and exposure to one of two distinct video clips representing different communication styles, to which participants were randomly assigned. T-tests were conducted to compare the two groups, a regression analysis investigated the effect of enthusiasm on pro-environmental behaviours and a bootstrapping analysis was used to assess the mediating role of enthusiasm. Results: The findings confirm that individuals exposed to empathic and actionable communication display higher levels of enthusiasm. However, no significant effect of enthusiasm on pro-environmental behaviour was observed, nor was there a direct relationship between communication style and engagement in pro-environmental behaviour. Additionally, the mediating effect of enthusiasm on the relationship between communication style and pro-environmental behaviour was not supported. Conclusion: These results suggest a nuanced relationship between communication, enthusiasm, and behavioural outcomes in environmental contexts. To enhance understanding, future research should explore additional factors that influence individual engagement in pro-environmental behaviour and consider a longitudinal approach to investigate the effects of communication style on pro-environmental behavior engagement. Keywords: Climate Change, Communication Style, Enthusiasm, Pro-environmental Behaviour |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/100402 |
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