THE VERDICT ON THIS ASSUMPTION: True
While social science research is emerging on how our tribal tendencies shape our views about climate change specifically, separate research on political party affiliation, religiosity, values formation, culture, social norms, social affinity, and moral tribalism has been trending and informing our work in climate change advocacy. Much of this discussion has focused on political affiliations and religious groups. These are not the only groups that matter, but have been the main ones explored so far (See Assumption 13) 1 .
It is less clear why these affiliations impact our views on climate change. Some researchers point to the differences in moral priorities endorsed by liberals versus conservatives, suggesting that the differences in moral framing of climate change results in “moral tribalism” 2 . Others suggest that political party simply becomes a marker of particular perspective and is used as a shortcut for evaluating the credibility of a particular policy or idea 3 . Related, other analysis has suggested that conservatives’ general unease with an active or “big” government creates an immediate hurdle for their support of addressing climate change, since government action is usually prescribed a critical piece of any strategy to address climate change.
Frames Associated with This Assumption:
Another example of 'tribal' behavior, religious affiliation, has also been shown to shape climate attitudes. People who indicate that they are more religious are less likely to believe that climate change is happening 1 , less likely to see climate change as a risk 2 , and less likely to agree that climate change is caused by human activities 3 . The reasons for this are relatively unexplored, however we can presume there is a connection between faith in a just and divine higher power and the toleration of uncertainty and potential catastrophic consequences of human practices 4 .
The essential link between individuals and the social and cultural forces that shape their understanding of the world serves as a central tenet of social science, highlighting the impossibility of isolating the actions of individuals from the social and cultural forces that shape them. Extensive research indicates that culture, social influences, and group norms help determine the way that individuals make sense of the world around them because “culture is prior to facts” 5 . The cultural and social circumstances that surround us become a lens through which we understand and evaluate the credibility and validity of new information 6 . New information may be rejected quickly if it evokes some type of threat to the listener’s sense of self by challenging deeply held beliefs or those of the group to which the individual belongs 7 . An important consequence of these dynamics is known as confirmation bias – the tendency for people to selectively hear and collect evidence that supports their existing beliefs and values 8 .
These relationships can also serve as a mechanism for helping people more fully engage in social and environmental issues. This can be done by working through affinity groups – these groups are nonhierarchical, and bring together 5 to 15 people who already know each other with the purpose of exploring an issue together. Many examples of such groups abound, such as the successful Northwest Earth Institute, Carbon Conversations and Surefoot Effect, and the community-building work of Interfaith Power and Light.
Even when our interactions aren’t with people we know or care about, social influences play a large role in shaping our attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors. These effects have been documented by extensive research exploring the effect of social norms and our need to fit in 9 . In one study, researchers tested the effect of social norms on individuals’ level of concern over climate change by dividing participants into three groups. One set of participants was told that 40% of people believe that climate change is a serious problem. Participants in the second group were told 60% believed climate change was serious while participants in the third group were told 80% believed this. Later in the survey, participants were asked about their own level of concern. The results show that those who were told 80% of people believe climate change is a serious problem were significantly more concerned than the group who were told 40% of people believe it is a serious problem 10 .
- Develop approaches that build on existing group affiliations and the values that shape them.
- Develop campaigns that are local and that frame costs and benefits in a way that links to local communities’ interests.
- Actively apply social norming insights into campaign messaging, such as highlighting how many other people are involved, and anything that helps to ‘naturalize’ engagement.
- Encourage the formation of affinity groups to explore climate change issues.
- Partner with existing communities and leverage strong group structures (i.e. faith-based, schools, workplaces, sports teams, etc.).
