A rising tide: Strengthening public permission for climate action

Article

This paper aims to provide direction for campaigners looking to inoculate voters from the culture war division on climate change, and to build and sustain further public support for climate action.

One of the by-products of climate change being so multifaceted is that there are almost infinite ways to discuss it. You can focus on risk or opportunity, jobs or generations, humans, or the natural world, and so on. This begs the question: which of these many stories is the most powerful in building permission for climate action with ordinary voters?

There are numerous ways we can rise to that challenge. Rebuttal is important, but so is telling our own compelling story to voters. A big task is keeping the salience – that is, prioritisation – of climate change relatively high among ordinary voters, especially as other issues (such as the cost of living or the war in Ukraine) compete for the public’s attention.

This paper sought an answer to the question: 'Which thematic narrative or message performs best to increase permission among UK voters for government action on climate change?'

Click the links below to download the full randomised control trial (RCT) data below.

Full data - national average

Full data - over 40s

Full data - non-graduates

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