Targeted Communication for Climate Denial: Ideologically Framed Survey Messaging

Climate change denial prevents meaningful environmental action. Current approaches, like overwhelming deniers with lists of facts and polarizing language, exclude individuals who might otherwise engage in discussion about climate issues. With an understanding of the barriers to entry of climate communication, local demographics, and successful communication strategy, we addressed the primary research question: what is the relationship between climate change messaging and respondents’ opinions on environmental issues? We collected survey data of 108 people on Boise State’s campus using two distinct flyer designs: one explicitly referencing “climate change” and another emphasizing “Idaho’s outdoors.” We found that individuals who engaged with the outdoors-focused messaging were more likely to align with Republican or conservative values. However, there was not a correlation between messaging and belief in climate change. These results suggest that framing environmental communication around shared values - like the outdoors and land conservation, can increase engagement across political divides. We recommend that future research should expand beyond college campuses to survey a wider audience, to engage with both larger conservative communities and groups that are more likely to deny climate change, to foster inclusive environmental advocacy.