Influence of social ties to environmentalists on public climate change perceptions

Abstract

A survey of the Canadian public shows that those with links to members of environmental organizations are more likely to be concerned about climate change, highlighting the importance of social ties and cultural milieu in shaping such attitudes. An emerging body of research proposes that climate change concern is shaped by one’s social ties and cultural milieu1,2,3. This work aligns with findings in the well-established field of social network analysis, whereby individuals are understood as being embedded in social networks, and network position can be used to predict attitudes4,5. Here we examine whether having ties to environmental movement organization members is correlated with climate change attitudes amongst the general public. We use data from a nationwide survey of the Canadian public to demonstrate that having social ties to environmental organization members increases the likelihood that an individual member of the public has a plan to deal with climate change. These findings reinforce the value of focusing on social context when examining climate change attitudes, and highlight the role that environmental organization members play in mobilizing climate change responses.

Cite this article

Tindall, D., Piggot, G. Influence of social ties to environmentalists on public climate change perceptions. Nature Clim Change 5, 546–549 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2597

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