Though scientific communities all agree that climate change is happening around the world, there are many people who believe that it either will not affect the United States or will not affect them personally.
This research study uses cognitive dissonance to explain the discrepancy and explain how to best eliminate it.
Research determined that the group deemed “Hypocrites” were those who saw the evidence and believed in climate change but did not personally take any steps to minimize risk. This group was determined to be mostly young females who were politically liberal.
The study recommends that nonprofits committed to water conservation and controlling climate change create a targeted Facebook campaign to reach this audience. They also should make infographics that are easy to understand and focus on recommendations that are easy to integrate into the audience’s everyday lives.
Finally, continued exposure to climate change prevention methods might help minimize the cognitive dissonance among this group.
Taylor, M. R., Lamm, A. J., & Lundy, L. K. (2017). Using Cognitive Dissonance to Communicate with Hypocrites About Water Conservation and Climate Change. Journal of Applied Communications, 101(3). doi:10.4148/1051-0834.1843
