Survey finds celebrities, politicians could be ‘missing link’ to mitigating climate change

Psychologists from Cardiff University have uncovered new insights into the role of celebrities and politicians in influencing public opinion on low-carbon living. The article is published in the journal Communication in human and social sciences.

“A change in behavior is essential to quickly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Taking fewer flights, eating less meat, driving electric cars, making homes more energy efficient, using more public transport and active travel are some of the most impactful changes we can make. choices have proven elusive in the general population and are rarely encouraged or modeled by high-status individuals,” said Dr Steve Westlake of Cardiff University’s School of Psychology, who led the research.

“We wanted to understand the effects of politicians and celebrities leading by example on climate change and whether this could incentivize the public to adopt low-carbon behaviors.”

Researchers analyzed the opinions of 1,267 people across the UK in April 2021, measuring citizens’ responses to leaders who advocate for action on climate change, either by leading by example or not not setting an example.

Cardiff psychologists tested theories of credibility and embodied leadership to understand how the status of celebrities and politicians could encourage low-carbon lifestyles. They found that being visible by example from politicians and celebrities significantly increases the willingness of members of the British public to make these high-impact, low-carbon choices.

Dr Westlake said: “We found that leading by example improves the public’s willingness to adopt low carbon behaviors. Not only that, but leading by example significantly increases perceptions of leaders’ credibility, trustworthiness, competence, and favorability. lead effectively, so this could be an important finding.

“We also found that there is a strong appetite for leadership among the public: people really want to see leaders act first. Our results indicate that leadership embodied through visible low-carbon behavior may provide a crucial “missing link” in the fight against climate change. crisis, because it shows that leaders are really taking the issue seriously.

“The results indicate that if leaders advocate for various forms of climate action, including behavior change, they will be more effective if they “lead by example” by adopting a range of low-carbon behaviors. carbon, and will have a negative effect on motivation. from the public if they do not do so.

“Our study shows that celebrities and politicians who lead by example do more than just reduce their own carbon footprint: they also encourage others to take action and improve their credibility.”