Protect future generations, a more effective approach to environmental messaging

This paper’s findings point to a promising way to inspire environmental action: emphasize responsibility to future generations (RFG) rather than climate change itself, which is often politically divisive. Syropoulos et al. analyzed 13 studies with over 160,000 participants across the US and Europe, including secondary analyses of studies at ICPSR: Eurobarometer public opinion surveys for the years 2009 to 2011, and the 2002 Detroit Area Study. Authors Syropoulos et al. found that people across the political spectrum, ages, and backgrounds broadly agreed on RFG, including conservatives and independents who tend to resist traditional messaging about taking personal responsibility for climate change. Additionally, to test strategies for increasing people’s sense of RFG and pro-environmental action, the authors conducted a study with over 3,000 online participants, each evaluating one of five interventions, ranging from writing letters to future generations, to watching a video about the importance of protecting nature. The results suggest that each of these interventions can indeed increase RFG, with letter writing proving most effective at leading to outcomes like support for pro-environmental policies and charities.