A new study co-written by a USC professor finds that indirect experience with severe weather drives public concern about climate change around the world.
What they found: People are more likely to worry about climate change if they know of someone who has been harmed by severe weather, even if they themselves have not been harmed. Concern is a precursor to action to curb and adapt to climate change. Education and being personally harmed by extreme weather also increase concern.
Who are we talking about? The study, which was published in the Journal of Risk Research, analyzed survey data collected in 121 countries for the 2021 Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll.
What they’re saying: “Knowing someone who has been harmed by severe weather makes climate impacts concrete, even if you haven’t been impacted yourself,” said study author Wändi Bruine de Bruin. “Climate communicators should tell the stories of people who are impacted by climate change.”
Bruine de Bruin is Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology, and Behavioral Science at the USC Price School of Public Policy and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. She is also Director of the Behavioral Science and Policy Initiative at the USC Schaeffer Institute.
Outreach for the study was supported by the USC Dornsife Public Exchange.
