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How to communicate the scientific consensus on climate change: plain facts, pie charts or metaphors?

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  • Sander Linden
  • Anthony Leiserowitz
  • Geoffrey Feinberg
  • Edward Maibach

Abstract

Previous research has identified public perceptions of the scientific consensus on climate change as an important gateway belief. Yet, little research to date has examined how to effectively communicate the scientific consensus on climate change. In this study, we conducted an online experiment using a national quota sample to compare three approaches to communicating the scientific consensus, namely: (a) descriptive text, (b) a pie chart and (c) metaphorical representations. Results indicate that while all three approaches can significantly increase public understanding of the degree of scientific consensus, the pie chart and simple text have superior recall and are most effective across political party lines. We conclude that the scientific consensus on climate change is most effectively communicated as a short, simple message that is easy to comprehend and remember. Representing the consensus visually in the form of a pie chart appears to be particularly useful. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Sander Linden & Anthony Leiserowitz & Geoffrey Feinberg & Edward Maibach, 2014. "How to communicate the scientific consensus on climate change: plain facts, pie charts or metaphors?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 126(1), pages 255-262, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:126:y:2014:i:1:p:255-262
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-014-1190-4
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    Cited by:

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    2. Lawrence Hamilton, 2015. "What people know," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 5(1), pages 54-57, March.
    3. Kaitlin T Raimi & Paul C Stern & Alexander Maki, 2017. "The Promise and Limitations of Using Analogies to Improve Decision-Relevant Understanding of Climate Change," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(1), pages 1-20, January.
    4. Brandi S. Morris & Polymeros Chrysochou & Jacob Dalgaard Christensen & Jacob L. Orquin & Jorge Barraza & Paul J. Zak & Panagiotis Mitkidis, 2019. "Stories vs. facts: triggering emotion and action-taking on climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 154(1), pages 19-36, May.
    5. Richard S.J. Tol, 2019. "The elusive consensus on climate change," Working Paper Series 0319, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    6. Karine Lacroix & Robert Gifford & Jonathan Rush, 2020. "Climate change beliefs shape the interpretation of forest fire events," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 159(1), pages 103-120, March.
    7. Emily J. Tetzlaff & Nicholas Goulet & Nihal Yapici & Melissa Gorman & Gregory R.A. Richardson & Paddy M. Enright & Glen P. Kenny, 2024. "Beach day or deadly heatwave? Content analysis of media images from the 2021 Heat Dome in Canada," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 177(5), pages 1-27, May.
    8. Lawrence C. Hamilton, 2016. "Public Awareness of the Scientific Consensus on Climate," SAGE Open, , vol. 6(4), pages 21582440166, November.
    9. Shapiro, Matthew A., 2020. "Next-generation battery research and development: Non-politicized science at the Joint Center for Energy Storage Research," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 145(C).
    10. Adebanke L. Adebayo & Rochelle Davidson Mhonde & Nathaniel DeNicola & Edward Maibach, 2020. "The Effectiveness of Narrative Versus Didactic Information Formats on Pregnant Women’s Knowledge, Risk Perception, Self-Efficacy, and Information Seeking Related to Climate Change Health Risks," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-13, September.
    11. Guillaume Rohat & Stéphane Goyette & Johannes Flacke, 2017. "Twin climate cities—an exploratory study of their potential use for awareness-raising and urban adaptation," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 929-945, August.
    12. repec:wrk:wrkemf:22 is not listed on IDEAS
    13. Carisa Bergner & Bruce A. Desmarais & John Hird, 2019. "Speaking truth in power: Scientific evidence as motivation for policy activism," Journal of Behavioral Public Administration, Center for Experimental and Behavioral Public Administration, vol. 2(1).
    14. Toby Bolsen & Justin Kingsland & Risa Palm, 2018. "The impact of frames highlighting coastal flooding in the USA on climate change beliefs," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 147(1), pages 359-368, March.
    15. Shannon M. Cruz, 2019. "Lateral attitude change on environmental issues: implications for the climate change debate," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 156(1), pages 151-169, September.
    16. María Luisa Vecina & María Alonso-Ferres & Laura López-García & Cintia Díaz-Silveira, 2024. "Eco-Anxiety and Trust in Science in Spain: Two Paths to Connect Climate Change Perceptions and General Willingness for Environmental Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(8), pages 1-17, April.
    17. Karin Eberhard, 2023. "The effects of visualization on judgment and decision-making: a systematic literature review," Management Review Quarterly, Springer, vol. 73(1), pages 167-214, February.
    18. Sander L van der Linden & Anthony A Leiserowitz & Geoffrey D Feinberg & Edward W Maibach, 2015. "The Scientific Consensus on Climate Change as a Gateway Belief: Experimental Evidence," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(2), pages 1-8, February.

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