IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i7p4280-d786344.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

How Climate Change Science Is Reflected in People’s Minds. A Cross-Country Study on People’s Perceptions of Climate Change

Author

Listed:
  • Ruxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag

    (Department of Environmental Science, Faculty of Environmental Science and Engineering, Babeș-Bolyai University, 30 Fantanele Street, 400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
    Department of Economy and Rural Development, Faculty of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
    Research Institute for Sustainability and Disaster Management Based on High Performance Computing (ISUMADECIP), Babes-Bolyai University, 30 Fantanele Street, 400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania)

  • Philippe Burny

    (Department of Economy and Rural Development, Faculty of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium)

  • Ioan Banatean-Dunea

    (Faculty of Agriculture, Banat’s University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine “King Michael I of Romania”, 119 Calea Aradului Street, 300645 Timisoara, Romania)

  • Dacinia Crina Petrescu

    (Department of Economy and Rural Development, Faculty of Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech, University of Liège, Passage des Déportés 2, 5030 Gembloux, Belgium
    Research Institute for Sustainability and Disaster Management Based on High Performance Computing (ISUMADECIP), Babes-Bolyai University, 30 Fantanele Street, 400294 Cluj-Napoca, Romania
    Department of Hospitality Services, Faculty of Business, Babeș-Bolyai University, 7 Horea Street, 400174 Cluj-Napoca, Romania)

Abstract

The way people perceive climate change scientific evidence becomes relevant in motivating or demotivating their climate actions. Climate change is one of the most publicized topics globally, and media has become an important “validator” of science. Therefore, science has become more exposed to criticism. Even when most scientists, decision makers, and laypeople agree on the robust evidence of climate science, there is still room for disagreement. The main aim of this paper is to reveal how climate change knowledge generated by science is perceived by the laypeople and to observe a possible gap between them. The study answered two questions “What are the main contrasting climate change topics in the scientific literature?” and “What are Romanian and Belgian participants’ perceptions of these topics?”. A qualitative approach was chosen for data analysis, using Quirkos software. The present cross-country study showed commonalities and differences of views between the two groups of participants regarding six climate change topics. Divergent perceptions among Belgians and Romanians came out, for example, within the theme “The heroes, villains, and victims of climate change.” Thus, whereas Belgians considered all people, including themselves, responsible for climate change, Romanians blamed mostly others, such as big companies, governments, and consumers. Additionally, both groups stated that climate change existed, but contrary to Belgians, Romanians voiced that climate change was often used as an exaggerated and politicized topic. The analysis revealed that perceptions about climate change, its causes, and its impacts are social constructs with a high degree of variability between and within the two national groups. The study argued that the cleavages between scientific literature and people’s views were blind spots on which a participatory approach was needed to better cope with climate change challenges.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag & Philippe Burny & Ioan Banatean-Dunea & Dacinia Crina Petrescu, 2022. "How Climate Change Science Is Reflected in People’s Minds. A Cross-Country Study on People’s Perceptions of Climate Change," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(7), pages 1-25, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:7:p:4280-:d:786344
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/7/4280/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/7/4280/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Sander Leeuw, 2020. "The role of narratives in human-environmental relations: an essay on elaborating win-win solutions to climate change and sustainability," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 160(4), pages 509-519, June.
    2. Jochen Hinkel & Diana Mangalagiu & Alexander Bisaro & J. David Tàbara, 2020. "Transformative narratives for climate action," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 160(4), pages 495-506, June.
    3. M Jackson, 2015. "Glaciers and climate change: narratives of ruined futures," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 6(5), pages 479-492, September.
    4. Anthony A. Leiserowitz, 2005. "American Risk Perceptions: Is Climate Change Dangerous?," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(6), pages 1433-1442, December.
    5. Courtney Work & Vannrith Rong & Danik Song & Arnim Scheidel, 2019. "Maladaptation and development as usual? Investigating climate change mitigation and adaptation projects in Cambodia," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(S1), pages 47-62, July.
    6. Carlsson-Kanyama, Annika, 1998. "Climate change and dietary choices -- how can emissions of greenhouse gases from food consumption be reduced?," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 23(3-4), pages 277-293, November.
    7. Stuart Capstick & Lorraine Whitmarsh & Wouter Poortinga & Nick Pidgeon & Paul Upham, 2015. "International trends in public perceptions of climate change over the past quarter century," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 6(1), pages 35-61, January.
    8. Tien Ming Lee & Ezra M. Markowitz & Peter D. Howe & Chia-Ying Ko & Anthony A. Leiserowitz, 2015. "Predictors of public climate change awareness and risk perception around the world," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 5(11), pages 1014-1020, November.
    9. Shayegh, Soheil & Sanchez, Daniel L., 2021. "Impact of market design on cost-effectiveness of renewable portfolio standards," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 136(C).
    10. Kimberley Thomas & R. Dean Hardy & Heather Lazrus & Michael Mendez & Ben Orlove & Isabel Rivera‐Collazo & J. Timmons Roberts & Marcy Rockman & Benjamin P. Warner & Robert Winthrop, 2019. "Explaining differential vulnerability to climate change: A social science review," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 10(2), March.
    11. Diana Stuart, 2022. "Tensions between individual and system change in the climate movement: an analysis of Extinction Rebellion," New Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(5), pages 806-819, September.
    12. Kate Burrows & Patrick L. Kinney, 2016. "Exploring the Climate Change, Migration and Conflict Nexus," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, April.
    13. Mia Landauer & Sirkku Juhola & Johannes Klein, 2019. "The role of scale in integrating climate change adaptation and mitigation in cities," Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 62(5), pages 741-765, April.
    14. Stefan Bojnec & Dacinia Crina Petrescu & Ruxandra Malina Petrescu-Mag & Carmen Valentina Radulescu, 2019. "Locally Produced Organic Food: Consumer Preferences," The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, Academy of Economic Studies - Bucharest, Romania, vol. 21(50), pages 209-209, February.
    15. Matthew J. Hornsey & Emily A. Harris & Paul G. Bain & Kelly S. Fielding, 2016. "Meta-analyses of the determinants and outcomes of belief in climate change," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 6(6), pages 622-626, June.
    16. Theodore G. Shepherd & Emily Boyd & Raphael A. Calel & Sandra C. Chapman & Suraje Dessai & Ioana M. Dima-West & Hayley J. Fowler & Rachel James & Douglas Maraun & Olivia Martius & Catherine A. Senior , 2018. "Storylines: an alternative approach to representing uncertainty in physical aspects of climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 555-571, December.
    17. Ragnhild Nordås & Nils Petter Gleditsch, 2015. "Climate Change and Conflict," Natural Resource Management and Policy, in: Susanne Hartard & Wolfgang Liebert (ed.), Competition and Conflicts on Resource Use, edition 127, chapter 0, pages 21-38, Springer.
    18. Sem Duijndam & Pieter van Beukering, 2021. "Understanding public concern about climate change in Europe, 2008–2017: the influence of economic factors and right-wing populism," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 21(3), pages 353-367, March.
    19. Stephan Hügel & Anna R. Davies, 2020. "Public participation, engagement, and climate change adaptation: A review of the research literature," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(4), July.
    20. Jochen Hinkel & Diana Mangalagiu & Alexander Bisaro & J. David Tàbara, 2020. "Correction to: Transformative narratives for climate action," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 160(4), pages 507-507, June.
    21. Hulme,Mike, 2009. "Why We Disagree about Climate Change," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521898690, October.
    22. Lau Øfjord Blaxekjær & Tobias Dan Nielsen, 2015. "Mapping the narrative positions of new political groups under the UNFCCC," Climate Policy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(6), pages 751-766, November.
    23. Stuart Capstick & Lorraine Whitmarsh & Wouter Poortinga & Nick Pidgeon & Paul Upham, 2015. "International trends in public perceptions of climate change over the past quarter century," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 6(4), pages 435-435, July.
    24. Daniel A. Chapman & Brian Lickel & Ezra M. Markowitz, 2017. "Reassessing emotion in climate change communication," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 7(12), pages 850-852, December.
    25. Michael D. Jones, 2014. "Cultural Characters and Climate Change: How Heroes Shape Our Perception of Climate Science," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 95(1), pages 1-39, March.
    26. Kjersti Fløttum & Øyvind Gjerstad, 2017. "Narratives in climate change discourse," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(1), January.
    27. Hurlimann, Anna & Moosavi, Sareh & Browne, Geoffrey R., 2021. "Urban planning policy must do more to integrate climate change adaptation and mitigation actions," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    28. Heejin Han & Sang Wuk Ahn, 2020. "Youth Mobilization to Stop Global Climate Change: Narratives and Impact," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, May.
    29. Hulme,Mike, 2009. "Why We Disagree about Climate Change," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9780521727327, October.
    30. Jiazhe Sun & Kaizhong Yang, 2016. "The Wicked Problem of Climate Change: A New Approach Based on Social Mess and Fragmentation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(12), pages 1-14, December.
    31. S. Corti & F. Molteni & T. N. Palmer, 1999. "Signature of recent climate change in frequencies of natural atmospheric circulation regimes," Nature, Nature, vol. 398(6730), pages 799-802, April.
    32. Linda Steg, 2018. "Limiting climate change requires research on climate action," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 8(9), pages 759-761, September.
    33. Neide P. Areia & Alexandre O. Tavares & José Manuel Mendes, 2021. "Environment Actors Confronting a Post Climate-Related Disaster Scenario: A Feasibility Study of an Action-Based Intervention Aiming to Promote Climate Action," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-14, June.
    34. A. K. Magnan & E.L.F. Schipper & M. Burkett & S. Bharwani & I. Burton & S. Eriksen & F. Gemenne & J. Schaar & G. Ziervogel, 2016. "Addressing the risk of maladaptation to climate change," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 7(5), pages 646-665, September.
    35. Raissa Sorgho & Maximilian Jungmann & Aurélia Souares & Ina Danquah & Rainer Sauerborn, 2021. "Climate Change, Health Risks, and Vulnerabilities in Burkina Faso: A Qualitative Study on the Perceptions of National Policymakers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-16, May.
    36. Eriksen, Siri & Schipper, E. Lisa F. & Scoville-Simonds, Morgan & Vincent, Katharine & Adam, Hans Nicolai & Brooks, Nick & Harding, Brian & Khatri, Dil & Lenaerts, Lutgart & Liverman, Diana & Mills-No, 2021. "Adaptation interventions and their effect on vulnerability in developing countries: Help, hindrance or irrelevance?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    37. Ole Theisen & Nils Gleditsch & Halvard Buhaug, 2013. "Is climate change a driver of armed conflict?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 117(3), pages 613-625, April.
    38. repec:aud:audfin:v:21:y:2019:i:50:p:209 is not listed on IDEAS
    39. Bonaccorsi, Andrea & Apreda, Riccardo & Fantoni, Gualtiero, 2020. "Expert biases in technology foresight. Why they are a problem and how to mitigate them," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 151(C).
    40. Papadis, Elisa & Tsatsaronis, George, 2020. "Challenges in the decarbonization of the energy sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 205(C).
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Joseph P. Reser & Graham L. Bradley, 2020. "The nature, significance, and influence of perceived personal experience of climate change," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 11(5), September.
    2. Sam Crawley & Hilde Coffé & Ralph Chapman, 2022. "Climate Belief and Issue Salience: Comparing Two Dimensions of Public Opinion on Climate Change in the EU," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 162(1), pages 307-325, July.
    3. Heejin Han & Sang Wuk Ahn, 2020. "Youth Mobilization to Stop Global Climate Change: Narratives and Impact," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, May.
    4. Peter Dirksmeier & Leonie Tuitjer, 2023. "Do trust and renewable energy use enhance perceived climate change efficacy in Europe?," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(8), pages 8753-8776, August.
    5. Jagadish Thaker & Nicholas Smith & Anthony Leiserowitz, 2020. "Global Warming Risk Perceptions in India," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(12), pages 2481-2497, December.
    6. Sandra Ricart & Jorge Olcina & Antonio M. Rico, 2018. "Evaluating Public Attitudes and Farmers’ Beliefs towards Climate Change Adaptation: Awareness, Perception, and Populism at European Level," Land, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-24, December.
    7. Matias Spektor & Guilherme N. Fasolin & Juliana Camargo, 2023. "Climate change beliefs and their correlates in Latin America," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-11, December.
    8. C. E. Richards & R. C. Lupton & J. M. Allwood, 2021. "Re-framing the threat of global warming: an empirical causal loop diagram of climate change, food insecurity and societal collapse," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 164(3), pages 1-19, February.
    9. Douenne, Thomas & Fabre, Adrien, 2020. "French attitudes on climate change, carbon taxation and other climate policies," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    10. Odou, Philippe & Schill, Marie, 2020. "How anticipated emotions shape behavioral intentions to fight climate change," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 243-253.
    11. Elisabeth Eide & Risto Kunelius, 2021. "Voices of a generation the communicative power of youth activism," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 169(1), pages 1-20, November.
    12. Gabriele Prati & Iana Tzankova & Cinzia Albanesi & Elvira Cicognani, 2022. "Longitudinal Predictors of Perceived Climate Change Importance and Worry among Italian Youths: A Machine Learning Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-19, November.
    13. Joshua Ettinger & Peter Walton & James Painter & Thomas DiBlasi, 2021. "Climate of hope or doom and gloom? Testing the climate change hope vs. fear communications debate through online videos," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 164(1), pages 1-19, January.
    14. Eriksen, Siri & Schipper, E. Lisa F. & Scoville-Simonds, Morgan & Vincent, Katharine & Adam, Hans Nicolai & Brooks, Nick & Harding, Brian & Khatri, Dil & Lenaerts, Lutgart & Liverman, Diana & Mills-No, 2021. "Adaptation interventions and their effect on vulnerability in developing countries: Help, hindrance or irrelevance?," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    15. Harriet Hawkins & Anja Kanngieser, 2017. "Artful climate change communication: overcoming abstractions, insensibilities, and distances," Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 8(5), September.
    16. Tol, Richard S.J., 2017. "The structure of the climate debate," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C), pages 431-438.
    17. D. Liliana González-Hernández & Raúl A. Aguirre-Gamboa & Erik W. Meijles, 2023. "The role of climate change perceptions and sociodemographics on reported mitigation efforts and performance among households in northeastern Mexico," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 25(2), pages 1853-1875, February.
    18. Jennifer C. Whitman & Jiaying Zhao & Kevin H. Roberts & Rebecca M. Todd, 2018. "Political orientation and climate concern shape visual attention to climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 147(3), pages 383-394, April.
    19. Johnson Kakeu & Erik Paul Johnson, 2018. "Information Exchange and Transnational Environmental Problems," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 71(2), pages 583-604, October.
    20. Graham L. Bradley & Joseph P. Reser, 2017. "Adaptation processes in the context of climate change: a social and environmental psychology perspective," Journal of Bioeconomics, Springer, vol. 19(1), pages 29-51, April.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:7:p:4280-:d:786344. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.