The Role of Emotions in Climate Communication: How Hope and Fear Affected Associative Appraisal, Efficacy and Action toward climate Change
Poster Presentation Time: 1500-1600; 1700-1800
Venue: E3, Tai Po-Shek-O Room, Lower Level I
Presenter(s)
– Dr Christelle NOT, Senior Lecturer, Department of Earth Sciences, The Unviersity of Hong Kong
Abstract
This study explored how the emotional framing of climate change messages (hope appeal vs. fear appeal) impacted students’ emotions and sense of efficacy towards addressing climate change. Prior research had focused on the persuasive effects of hope and fear appeals, but lacked investigation into how audience perceptions influence the interpretation of these messages. The quantitative results showed that the hope-appeal group experienced a significantly greater increase in self-efficacy and collective efficacy compared to the fear-appeal group. Qualitative analysis provided potential explanations – hope-appeal videos shifted students’ attention towards messages about effective mitigation actions, while fear-appeal videos directed focus to the negative consequences of climate change. Importantly, before the intervention, many students believed individual efforts were negligible compared to collective action. However, the hope-appeal’s emphasis on efficacy allowed students to recognize the value of their individual contributions, boosting their self-efficacy and collective efficacy. The findings suggest that communicating climate solutions with hope and gain-framed messages, rather than fear appeals, may be more effective in empowering younger generations to take meaningful action against climate change.