Building bridges and changing minds: Insights from climate communication research and practice

The document examines the psychological and social drivers of climate action, arguing that values, social norms, and trust are more influential than scientific knowledge alone. It provides strategic principles for communicators, emphasizing the need to avoid alarmism, tailor messages to specific audiences, and leverage trusted messengers to overcome political polarization and the 'information deficit' myth.

• Research indicates that social norms, personal values, emotions, and experiences are more significant drivers of climate change perceptions than scientific knowledge, challenging the 'information deficit' model which suggests education alone is the primary barrier to action.
• While fear can motivate action, catastrophic messaging often leads to disengagement, defeatism, or denial if the threat feels overwhelming. Effective communication should balance risk warnings with actionable solutions and contrasting scenarios to demonstrate the impact of climate action.
• Climate change perceptions are heavily influenced by 'cultural cognition,' where individuals align their views with their social group or political identity. This has led to polarization, particularly in the US and UK, where climate action is often associated with specific political leanings.
• Trust in the messenger is a critical mediator of how climate information is interpreted. People are more likely to trust sources who share their background or values, as demonstrated by the 'Francis effect,' where Pope Francis's moral framing increased climate concern among Catholics in the US.
• To be effective, climate communication must move beyond individual targeting to mobilize collective action and social movements, which provide a sense of group identity and are more capable of changing broad societal norms.
• A study of 17,200 Swedish forest owners showed that communication delivered by local agency employees rather than scientists increased the participants' perceived ability and intention to implement adaptation measures.

APA

Vulturius, G., Davis, M., & Bharwani, S. (2016). Building bridges and changing minds: Insights from climate communication research and practice. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-DB-2016-Climate-communications.pdf

Chicago

Vulturius, Gregor, Marion Davis, and Sukaina Bharwani. Building bridges and changing minds: Insights from climate communication research and practice. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2016. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-DB-2016-Climate-communications.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Vulturius |first1=Gregor |last2=Davis |first2=Marion |last3=Bharwani |first3=Sukaina |title=Building bridges and changing minds: Insights from climate communication research and practice |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=2016 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-DB-2016-Climate-communications.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{vulturius2016building, author = {Vulturius, Gregor and Davis, Marion and Bharwani, Sukaina}, title = {{Building bridges and changing minds: Insights from climate communication research and practice}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2016}, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/Climate/SEI-DB-2016-Climate-communications.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }