How to engage parents in climate action  case study

The document details an innovation partnership that tested four messaging frames—Protection, Intergenerational Togetherness, Inheritance, and Chances—to determine how the identity of being a parent can be leveraged to inspire climate action. Using YouGov surveys and A/B testing, the study found that while all messages were generally well-received, different narratives resonated with different demographic and ideological segments. For instance, parents of younger children preferred Protection and Inheritance frames, while right-leaning 'Loyal Nationals' responded well to Protection and Togetherness. The findings validate the hypothesis that focusing on parental identity can meaningfully connect individuals to climate action, provided the messaging accounts for intersecting values and identities.

• The study validated the hypothesis that communication strategies focusing on the identity of 'parents' can effectively inspire individuals to connect more meaningfully with climate action.
• All four tested narratives (Protection, Intergenerational Togetherness, Inheritance, and Chances) were relatively well received across audiences, especially among parents, with twice as many people connecting to them as not.
• Messaging effectiveness varied by demographic and ideological segment: parents of younger children favored Protection and Inheritance frames, and women connected slightly more strongly to all messages than men. Ideologically, 'Civic Pragmatists' (left-leaning) preferred Togetherness and Inheritance, while 'Loyal Nationals' (right-leaning) favored Protection and Togetherness.
• Different narratives triggered distinct emotional responses: Protection and Inheritance increased feelings of concern, while Togetherness increased hope and motivation. Notably, none of the messages significantly triggered negative emotions such as guilt, sadness, or confusion.
• The Protection and Chances frames were found to be more polarising than the other narratives, being highly inspiring for some but much less so for others.

APA

Powell, D., & Corser, N. S. (2022). How to engage parents in climate action  case study. Climate Outreach. https://climateoutreach.org/parents-case-study/

Chicago

Powell, David, and Nuri Syed Corser. How to engage parents in climate action  case study. Climate Outreach, 2022. https://climateoutreach.org/parents-case-study/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Powell |first1=David |last2=Corser |first2=Nuri Syed |title=How to engage parents in climate action  case study |publisher=Climate Outreach |date=24 February 2022 |url=https://climateoutreach.org/parents-case-study/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{powell2022how, author = {Powell, David and Corser, Nuri Syed}, title = {{How to engage parents in climate action  case study}}, institution = {Climate Outreach}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://climateoutreach.org/parents-case-study/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }