Enhancing climate change communication: strategies for profiling and targeting Australian interpretive communities

Abstracthis research aimed to provide practical information about how to design communications on climate change adaptation and target these to the Australian population.   This was achieved by: (1) identifying and increasing awareness of different climate change audiences in Australia, and (2) evaluating how each audience responds to different types of climate change messages. Phase 1 of the study used audience segmentation analysis to identify the main climate change interpretive communities within Australia; that is, groups of Australians who share similar views and understandings about climate change.   A nationwide sample consisting of 3,096 Australian residents (aged 15 to 108 years, 47% male and 53% female) completed an online survey assessing a broad range of psychological and behavioural factors related to climate change.   Latent profile analysis applied to the psychological variables suggested that this Australian sample consists of five distinct interpretive communities: Alarmed (26%), Concerned (39%), Uncertain (14%), Doubtful (12%), and Dismissive (9%). Validation analyses revealed that these groups differed in terms of how they responded to perceived climate change threats, and also in their support for particular climate change mitigation and adaptation policies.   Phase 2 of the project examined how Australian interpretive communities respond to climate change adaptation messages and identified the specific message attributes that drive these responses. 1,031 Australian residents (aged 18 to 66 years, 49.8% male, 50.2% female) completed an online survey assessing a similar set of psychological and behavioural responses to climate change to those assessed in Phase 1.   Respondents subsequently viewed six climate change adaptation messages that were randomly allocated from a pool of 60 messages sourced from the internet.   Messages were pre-coded on 10 communication cues (e.g., language complexity, normative influence), and respondents rated them on four judgement dimensions: perceived threat, perceived efficacy, fear control (message rejection), and danger control (message acceptance).   Latent profile analysis applied to the psychological variables identified three climate change interpretive communities in this sample: Alarmed (34.4%), Uncommitted (45.2%), and Dismissive (20.3%).   Judgement analysis methodology (Cooksey, 1996) found that the three interpretive communities based their threat and efficacy evaluations on unique combinations of communication cues, and that high perceived threat and high perceived efficacy were related to message acceptance for all communities.   Effective messages for Dismissive respondents used simple language and did not emphasise descriptive social norms.   Uncommitted audience members responded positively to messages that focused on preventing losses and had a strong emotional component.   Alarmed respondents preferred messages that focused on local issues and had a collectivist frame. Providing specific adaptation advice in messages was found to be effective for all communities. The results largely support the Extended Parallel Processing Model of risk communication (Witte, 1992), and suggest that message attributes should be adjusted to effectively communicate with different climate change interpretive communities within Australia.Please cite this report as:Hine, D, Phillips, W, Reser, J, Cooksey, R, Marks, A, Nunn, P, Watt, S, Ellul, M 2013 Enhancing climate change communication: Strategies for profiling and targeting Australian interpretive communities, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast, pp. 95.his research aimed to provide practical information about how to design communications on climate change adaptation and target these to the Australian population.   This was achieved by: (1) identifying and increasing awareness of different climate change audiences in Australia, and (2) evaluating how each audience responds to different types of climate change messages. Phase 1 of the study used audience segmentation analysis to identify the main climate change interpretive communities within Australia; that is, groups of Australians who share similar views and understandings about climate change.   A nationwide sample consisting of 3,096 Australian residents (aged 15 to 108 years, 47% male and 53% female) completed an online survey assessing a broad range of psychological and behavioural factors related to climate change.   Latent profile analysis applied to the psychological variables suggested that this Australian sample consists of five distinct interpretive communities: Alarmed (26%), Concerned (39%), Uncertain (14%), Doubtful (12%), and Dismissive (9%). Validation analyses revealed that these groups differed in terms of how they responded to perceived climate change threats, and also in their support for particular climate change mitigation and adaptation policies.   Phase 2 of the project examined how Australian interpretive communities respond to climate change adaptation messages and identified the specific message attributes that drive these responses. 1,031 Australian residents (aged 18 to 66 years, 49.8% male, 50.2% female) completed an online survey assessing a similar set of psychological and behavioural responses to climate change to those assessed in Phase 1.   Respondents subsequently viewed six climate change adaptation messages that were randomly allocated from a pool of 60 messages sourced from the internet.   Messages were pre-coded on 10 communication cues (e.g., language complexity, normative influence), and respondents rated them on four judgement dimensions: perceived threat, perceived efficacy, fear control (message rejection), and danger control (message acceptance).   Latent profile analysis applied to the psychological variables identified three climate change interpretive communities in this sample: Alarmed (34.4%), Uncommitted (45.2%), and Dismissive (20.3%).   Judgement analysis methodology (Cooksey, 1996) found that the three interpretive communities based their threat and efficacy evaluations on unique combinations of communication cues, and that high perceived threat and high perceived efficacy were related to message acceptance for all communities.   Effective messages for Dismissive respondents used simple language and did not emphasise descriptive social norms.   Uncommitted audience members responded positively to messages that focused on preventing losses and had a strong emotional component.   Alarmed respondents preferred messages that focused on local issues and had a collectivist frame. Providing specific adaptation advice in messages was found to be effective for all communities. The results largely support the Extended Parallel Processing Model of risk communication (Witte, 1992), and suggest that message attributes should be adjusted to effectively communicate with different climate change interpretive communities within Australia

Public risk perceptions, understandings and responses to climate change in Australia and Great Britain

This final report presents and discusses national survey findings from a collaborative and cross-national research project undertaken by Griffith University (Australia) and Cardiff University (UK) examining public risk perceptions, understandings and responses to the threat and unfolding impacts of climate change in Australia and Great Britain. The Australian national survey was undertaken between 6 June and 6 July, 2010 and involved a representative and geographically and demographically stratified national sample of 3096 respondents. The British survey was undertaken between 6 January and 26 March, 2010 and involved a representative quota sample of 1822 respondents residing in England, Scotland and Wales. These articulated surveys were distinctive in their cross-national comparative collaboration, in their psychological and social science nature, focus, and design, in their indepth nature, and in their focus on underlying public understandings and psychological responses to climate change

Evaluating the effectiveness of psychological preparedness advice in community cyclone preparedness materials

This paper addresses the case of tropical cyclone warnings in Northern Australia and briefly outlines the nature, logic, and findings of a psychological preparedness intervention trailed in Cairns, Queensland, during the 1996/1997cyclone season. The aim of the research was to trial, evaluate and refine an innovative natural disaster public education and warning communication intervention focusing on tropical cyclone preparedness and response. This risk communication intervention involved the dissemination of selected psychological information designed to enable individuals to better cope with themselves and others in an increasingly threatening situation. The psycho-educational content material incorporated was derived from ‘Stress Inoculation Theory’ (Meichenbaum, 1985; 1994; Meichenbaum and Deffenbacher, 1988). The research found that the pre-cyclone season period is a critically important time and venue for prevention and mitigation, and that psychological factors and processes during this threat period are of singular importance to effective coping and adaptive responding. The research also clearly indicated that there are a substantial number of residents in cyclone-prone communities for whom chronic anxiety, avoidant coping styles, and prior traumatic experience constitute both a substantial vulnerability factor and a genuine impediment to psychological and physical preparedness

Perceptions of the Norwood Community regarding its existing educational system and possible amalgamation

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Aboriginal responses to climate change in arid zone Australia

Abstract Given the broad scale and fundamental transformations occurring to the natural environment due to anthropogenic climate change in the present era, what does the future hold for Aboriginal people in remote arid regions of Australia?  In searching for answers to this question, this study takes an interior arid-zone region, the Upper Georgina River Basin in northwest Queensland (Figure 1) as the focus for a scoping study in which to investigate and document Aboriginal perceptions and knowledge of climate change, and the capacity of regional communities to respond and adapt to such change at a number of levels; specifically anticipatory adaptation or preparedness for particular types of climate change, land and riverine management, housing and settlement adaptation as well as enterprise development opportunities arising from new forms of adaptation processes. Based on these findings, a set of Regional Climate Change Adaptation Planning principles and strategies has been generated. The relevance of aspects of this adaptation plan can be extrapolated for use in other arid zone regions where applicable. The study also analyses the implications for climate change adaptation policy relevant to Aboriginal communities at different jurisdictional levels, including across state and local government borders.  The study was carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and local community and business personnel who are already engaged in research projects in the region, led by staff of the Aboriginal Environments Research Centre at University of Queensland and Myuma Pty Ltd, an Aboriginal enterprise and training organisation at Camooweal in north-west Queensland. Figure 1: Map of the study region showing the five main communities and extent of the Upper Georgina River Basin. Please cite this report as: Memmott, P, Reser, J, Head, B, Davidson, J, Nash, D, O’Rourke, T, Gamage, H, Suliman, S, Lowry, A, Marshall, K 2013 Aboriginal responses to climate change in arid zone Australia: Regional understandings and capacity building for adaptation, National Climate Change Adaptation Research Facility, Gold Coast, pp. 285.Abstract Given the broad scale and fundamental transformations occurring to the natural environment due to anthropogenic climate change in the present era, what does the future hold for Aboriginal people in remote arid regions of Australia?  In searching for answers to this question, this study takes an interior arid-zone region, the Upper Georgina River Basin in northwest Queensland (Figure 1) as the focus for a scoping study in which to investigate and document Aboriginal perceptions and knowledge of climate change, and the capacity of regional communities to respond and adapt to such change at a number of levels; specifically anticipatory adaptation or preparedness for particular types of climate change, land and riverine management, housing and settlement adaptation as well as enterprise development opportunities arising from new forms of adaptation processes. Based on these findings, a set of Regional Climate Change Adaptation Planning principles and strategies has been generated. The relevance of aspects of this adaptation plan can be extrapolated for use in other arid zone regions where applicable. The study also analyses the implications for climate change adaptation policy relevant to Aboriginal communities at different jurisdictional levels, including across state and local government borders.  The study was carried out by a multi-disciplinary team of researchers and local community and business personnel who are already engaged in research projects in the region, led by staff of the Aboriginal Environments Research Centre at University of Queensland and Myuma Pty Ltd, an Aboriginal enterprise and training organisation at Camooweal in north-west Queensland

What time to adapt? The role of discretionary time in sustaining the climate change value-action gap

We investigate the role discretionary (non-working) time plays in sustaining the gap between individuals’ concern about climate change and their propensity to act on this concern by adopting sustainable consumption practices. Using recent Australian survey data on climate change adaptation, we find that while discretionary time is unrelated to concern about climate change, it is positively correlated with the propensity to adopt mitigating behavior. Moreover, we find that increasing discretionary time is associated with significant reductions in the gap between the concern that individuals express about climate change and their reporting of engagement in sustainable consumption practices

A Report of the American Psychological Association Task Force on the Interface Between Psychology & Global Climate Change

This report examines the role of the field of psychology in understanding and dealing with global climate change. The report explores the psychological drivers for contributing to climate change and the psychological barriers to action in response to the threat of climate change. The report makes policy recommendations based on its findings