Bridging the Ideological Divide: Communicating the Positive Economic Impact of Climate Policy to Persuade the Right

Abstract

Political polarisation on the issue of climate change is an obstacle to an effective public debate on the measures needed to tackle the problem. Communication that focuses on the economic dimension could be one way to increase the limited support of right-wing audiences for climate policy. In two experimental studies, we examined how a message advocating a switch from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources affects participants' support for this policy. The message focused on the environmental or economic consequences of the policy (Studies 1 and 2), was framed in terms of gain or loss (Study 1) and was attributed to different sources (Study 2). Participants' political orientation and their beliefs and concerns about climate change were also assessed. The results showed that attitudes towards climate change and support for the policy were strongly related to political orientation. Right-leaning participants were significantly less concerned about climate change and less supportive of the proposed policy. This effect was moderated by the focus of the message, as right-leaning participants agreed more with the economic focus message than the environmental focus message, while left-leaning participants did the opposite. The discussion focuses on the role of communication and message framing in integrating climate action into the political agenda and bridging the existing political divide.