Antioch University AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive Dissertations & Theses Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses 2014 From Alarm to Action: Closing the Gap Between Belief and Behavior in Response to Climate Change Kathryn Laing Doherty Antioch University - New England Follow this and additional works at: http://aura.antioch.edu/etds Part of the Climate Commons, Place and Environment Commons, Politics and Social Change Commons, Social Influence and Political Communication Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Social Psychology and Interaction Commons, and the Sustainability Commons Recommended Citation Doherty, Kathryn Laing, "From Alarm to Action: Closing the Gap Between Belief and Behavior in Response to Climate Change" (2014) Dissertations & Theses 146 http://aura.antioch.edu/etds/146 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses at AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses by an authorized administrator of AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive For more information, please contact dpenrose@antioch.edu, wmcgrath@antioch.edu Department of Environmental Studies DISSERTATION COMMITTEE PAGE The undersigned have examined the dissertation entitled: From Alarm to Action: Closing the Gap Between Belief and Behavior in Response to Climate Change Presented by: Kathryn Laing Doherty Candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, and hereby certify that it is accepted.* Thomas Webler, PhD, Social and Environmental Research Institute (Committee Chair) Carol Saunders, PhD, Antioch University New England Anthony Leiserowitz, PhD, Yale University Defense Date: June 11, 2014 *Signatures are on file with the Registrar’s Office, Antioch University New England This page is left blank intentionally From Alarm to Action: Closing the Gap Between Belief and Behavior in Response to Climate Change by Kathryn L Doherty A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Environmental Studies at Antioch University New England 2014 © 2014 by Kathryn L Doherty All Rights Reserved i Dedication To my father, Robert W Doherty PhD, who passed away while I was finishing this project Throughout this endeavor, as with everything else in my life, he provided invaluable support, perspective, and laughter I would not be who I am or where I am today if it weren’t for him ii Acknowledgements I am grateful to many people who provided support while I worked on this project First, this research would not have been possible if it weren’t for the survey respondents who so kindly gave their time and shared their thoughts with me Committee members Dr Tom Webler, Dr Carol Saunders, and Dr Anthony Leiserowitz provided inspiration, asked insightful questions, and offered guidance and support I greatly appreciate their generosity and wisdom Dr Ed Maibach and Dr Connie Roser-Renouf, although not part of my committee, offered thoughtful input for which I am grateful My cohort friends at Antioch University New England, and my fellowship group at the Social Science Research Council provided inspiration, perspective, and encouragement I am thankful, as well, for the funding provided by the Social Science Research Council My mother and my brothers, along with my extended family, and many friends, cheered me on They were interested in my research, and asked how it was coming along, but not too often ☺ My husband, Seth, encouraged and believed in me, and tirelessly supported me in every way possible Our daughter, Sage, furthers instills in me the desire to make the world a better place She is a constant reminder of why work like this is so important I am grateful to both of them for their patience, support, and unconditional love iii ABSTRACT The degree to which the climate continues to change will largely be determined by choices made by individuals and nations regarding greenhouse gas emissions Many Americans engage in energy conservation actions But, the political will in the United States to adopt emissions reduction policies is unlikely to exist without public demand Therefore, public mitigation actions of individuals (e.g., contacting elected officials in support of emissions reduction) are critical to induce legislative response The majority of individuals who are most concerned about climate change (the “Alarmed” segment) not engage in public mitigation actions, but some The purpose of this study is to examine the social-psychological factors that drive the public mitigation actions of the Alarmed This was done through a comparison of the original value belief norm (VBN) model to eight author-created models that added predictor variables to the VBN The objective was to determine which model was most effective at explaining public mitigation action Drivers of these actions were also assessed by comparing those who took action (“actors”) with those who did not (“non-actors”) Electronic survey responses of 702 Alarmed Vermonters, analyzed with structural equation modeling, revealed that the modified VBN that included four efficacy variables and descriptive social norms was the best fitting and most explanatory model Additionally, actors had significantly higher efficacy scores and descriptive social norms scores than non-actors Results suggest that individuals are more inclined to engage in public mitigation action if they feel capable of taking action, believe that their individual and collective efforts are effective, and think others are participating Two core contributions of this study are: (1) an improved VBN model in the context of climate change, and (2) greater understanding of the precursors to public mitigation action These findings have broad implications for climate change communication strategies The electronic version of this dissertation is in the open-access OhioLINK ETD Center (http://etd.ohiolink.edu) iv TABLE OF CONTENTS DEDICATION i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii LIST OF FIGURES viii LIST OF TABLES xii CHAPTER 1: Introduction .1 Private Mitigation Actions Public Mitigation Actions .3 The “Alarmed” Determinants of Behavior 12 Problem Statement 15 Statement of Purpose 16 Dissertation Chapter Summary 17 CHAPTER 2: Literature Review 18 Value Belief Norm Theory 19 Efficacy .36 Social Norms 73 CHAPTER 3: Methods 83 Research Questions, Objectives, and Hypotheses 83 Survey Design .87 Data Collection 100 Data Analysis 108 v Chapter Summary .132 CHAPTER 4: Results of Data Analysis Stage One and Two: Audience Segmentation and Data Preparation 134 Data Analysis Stage One: Audience Segmentation 134 Data Analysis Stage Two: Pre-analysis Data Examination and Data Preparation 135 Descriptive Statistics with Data Set of 702 Respondents 143 Chapter Summary .148 CHAPTER 5: Results of Data Analysis Stage Three: Testing the Measurement Models .150 Introduction to Reliability and Validity in Testing the Measurement Model 150 Reliability and Validity of Constructs and Indicators in the Totally Disaggregated (Unparceled) Measurement Model 152 Creation of the Revised Measurement Model 164 Increased Reliability and Validity in the Revised Measurement Model 181 Chapter Summary .191 CHAPTER 6: Results of Data Analysis Stage Four: Assessment and Comparison of the Structural Models 193 Introduction .193 Model A (Original VBN) 194 Comparing Nested Models .203 Chapter Summary .220 CHAPTER 7: Results of Data Analysis Stage Five: Influence of Demographics, and Comparison of Alarmed “Actors” vs “Non-Actors” 222 =NSF$)#$' ) E8\=ORF ) ( )E8\=OQF/ (,' /= *. *(($0( )00*,1 '$ # 2$*.:)* J '$ !J, $ 0*./3 /$")$!$ )0$) #$' )/ (,' = ) ( )/ (,' : 3 //$")$!$ )0E8\=OT: =NSF=*. *(($0( )00*,.$2 0 # 2$*.:E8 \=OP: =NSF ) $'$050* 1 0# 0 E8\=PN: =NOF3 /$")$!$ )0$) #$' )/ (,' =)$2 / '$/(E8\=PV: =NNOF$) ( )/ (,' = 343 344 Table B.1 Continued )//*) 0 ' EPNOOF ) *( 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From Alarm to Action: Closing the Gap Between Belief and Behavior in Response to Climate Change by Kathryn L Doherty A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the. .. predicting behavior; and describes how the present study is supported by and contributes to these three areas Chapter Three presents the survey tool, the research questions and hypotheses, and makes the