Psychology and Climate Change by Christie Manning & Susan Clayton

Author:Christie Manning & Susan Clayton [Christie Manning]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Academic Press
Published: 2018-06-04T21:00:00+00:00

The relative importance of these influences and principles will need to be determined and are likely to be different for different actions, in different economic and policy contexts, and perhaps for different consumer segments. Most psychology-based research on proenvironmental behavior has focused on “average” effects, but in the domain of high-cost, high-impact energy investments, the field may do well to borrow market segmentation strategies from consumer psychology. A handful of studies have already proven this approach to be insightful for understanding alternative fuel vehicle purchasing behavior (Nayum et al., 2016), travel behavior (Anable, 2005), and household energy curtailment and efficiency measures (Sütterlin, Brunner, & Siegrist, 2011).

The usefulness of available psychological and other social science theories will also need to be determined. The most appropriate combination of explanatory concepts may vary with the type of behavior and its policy context. For example, in a study of interest in adoption of residential PV in the United States, three theories, including DOI theory, which is not usually included in psychological studies, all indicated some explanatory power (Wolske et al., 2017). Future research on high-impact household actions is likely to contribute to a better understanding of the theories that are applicable to different types of behaviors and choice contexts, of the relationships among theories, and of the economic concepts that are important in explaining environmentally important household actions. Such integrative approaches may also help identify segments of consumers that are likely to respond to different product attributes, thus informing segment-based approaches to influencing choice.

Psychology has only scratched the surface of the contributions it can make to limiting climate change through the actions of households as consumers. It has demonstrated its ability to contribute through studies of several types of household action that have relatively small potential for limiting climate change. It can contribute much more going forward by applying its concepts and methods to higher-impact consumer behaviors and helping to achieve RAER that are not achieved by current policies and programs. To do so, however, it needs to pay more attention to understanding the psychological influences specific to high-impact behaviors (e.g., the importance of reducing cognitive effort in the face of complex choices) and to engage more in collaboration with specialists in other fields, including technology design, consumer choice, and economics. Psychology also needs to be cognizant that influences on choice vary in different policy contexts. On a generational time scale, psychology can contribute even further through studies to facilitate major societal transitions, such as to electrically powered vehicle fleets and to community designs that reduce the need for motorized transport, both in developed and developing countries.

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