The Power of Moral Words in Politicized Climate Change Communication

ABSTRACT Based on moral foundations theory and moral framing, through a between-subjects online experiment with a sample of adults residing in the U.S. (N = 407), we compared an individualizing moral frame to a binding moral frame in predicting individuals’ climate change mitigation policies support. Results show that, compared to a pro-environmental message employing binding moral framing, a message using individualizing moral framing leads individuals to perceive that the message is more credible, which in turn increases their support for climate change mitigation policies. This study’s theoretical and practical implications and proposed future directions for research on climate change communication are discussed.