What We Think Others Think and Do About Climate Change: A Multicountry Test of Pluralistic Ignorance and Public-Consensus Messaging
Most people believe in human-caused climate change, yet this public consensus can be collectively underestimated (<i>pluralistic ignorance</i>). Across two studies using primary data (<i>n</i> = 3,653 adult participants; 11 countries) and secondary data (<i>n</i>s = 60,230 and 22,496 adult participants; 55 countries), we tested (a) the generalizability of pluralistic ignorance about climate-change beliefs, (b) the effects of a public-consensus intervention on climate action, and (c) the possibility that cultural tightness-looseness might serve as a country-level predictor of pluralistic ignorance. In Study 1, people across 11 countries underestimated the prevalence of proclimate views by at least 7.5% in Indonesia (90% credible interval, or CrI = [5.0, 10.1]), and up to 20.8% in Brazil (90% CrI = [18.2, 23.4]. Providing information about the actual public consensus on climate change was largely ineffective, except for a slight increase in willingness to express one's proclimate opinion, δ = 0.05 (90% CrI = [-0.02, 0.11]). In Study 2, pluralistic ignorance about willingness to contribute financially to fight climate change was slightly more pronounced in looser than tighter cultures, highlighting the particular need for pluralistic-ignorance research in these countries.
Authors
- Karla Alejandra Garduño Realivazquez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5199-9163)
- Christian A. P. Haugestad (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6787-1992)
- Mathew P. White (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4168-7289)
- Sandra J. Geiger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3262-5609)
- Claudio D. Rosa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1939-2716)
- Radisti A. Praptiwi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1657-6982)
- Sari R. R. Nijssen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0340-8509)
- Aishwarya Iyer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8277-8830)
- Michalina Marczak (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2270-811X)
- Hirotaka Imada (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3604-4155)
- Valeria Vitale (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1073-3390)
- Małgorzata Winkowska
- Carya Maharja (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9581-8283)
- Jana Katharina Köhler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1581-3202)
- Zenith Nara Costa Delabrida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1878-6040)
- Nattavudh Powdthavee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9345-4882)
- Dan C. Mann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6260-8615)
- Olivia Melville
- Gargi Ranade
- Lei Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9586-595X)
Institutions
- University of Vienna (AT)
- University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (AT)
- Nanyang Technological University (SG)
- University of Oslo (NO)
- Universidade Federal de Sergipe (BR)
- Princeton University (US)
- University of St.Gallen (CH)
- University of Victoria (CA)
- Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz (BR)
- Kochi University of Technology (JP)
- Universidad de Sonora (MX)
- Complexity Science Hub (AT)
- Instituto Federal de Educação Ciência e Tecnologia do Norte de Minas Gerais (BR)
- National Research and Innovation Agency (ID)
- Christ University (IN)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- Sapienza University of Rome (IT)
- University of Plymouth (GB)
- Umeå University (SE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Psychological Science
- Published
- 2025-05-22
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976251335585
- Citations
- 8
- Primary Topic
- Climate Change Communication and Perception
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 33.61