Date
2017-02-21Date issued
2017-02-21
Journal
Global Environmental Change
Type
Article
Language
en
Publisher
Elsevier
Abstract
A growing body of research points to the role social norms may play in both
maintaining carbon intensive lifestyles and soliciting changes towards more sustainable ways
of living. However, despite highlighting the importance of pro-environmental social norms,
such literature has said far less about the processes by which such norms might develop. We
present a new approach to conceptualising social norms that focuses on understanding their
dynamics within social interaction, by positioning interpersonal confrontation as a potential
mechanism of change. We examine the normative dynamics of environmentalism by
comparing the costs of interpersonally confronting climate change disregard with those
associated with confronting racism. In two experimental studies, we presented participants
with scenarios describing a person confronting (versus not confronting) contentious
comments in each domain. We identified social costs to interpersonal confrontation of
climate change disregard but not racism, as indicated by reduced ratings of perceived warmth
of and closeness to the confronter (Study 1), and this effect was mediated by the perceived
morality of the issue in question (Study 2). Our findings highlight how wider social
constructions of (im)morality around climate change impact upon social interactions in ways
that have important implications for processes of social (and ultimately environmental)
change.
Funders/Sponsor
This research was supported through an Exeter Graduate Fellowship from the University of
Exeter
Description
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this record.
Citation
Published online 21 February 2017
ISSN
0959-3780
