People are notoriously resistant to changing their behaviour to address climate change, even when they support the goals of the environmental movement. Research shows, however, that positive messages from trusted voices can influence us to adopt more climate-friendly behaviours.

Building on this evidence, researchers led by psychologists at the University of Bath have developed a toolkit to help harness the influence of people we trust – from celebrities and healthcare workers to family members and neighbours – increasing the likelihood that behaviour-changing climate messages reach the right audiences through effective channels.

In a new paper, published today in Nature Climate Change, researchers at the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) break the communication challenge into four dimensions: the messenger, the audience, the mode of influence and the behavioural domain.

The team then analyses how this four-dimensional framework can serve both as an analytical tool for researchers looking to accelerate behavioural change and a practical guide for policymakers, communicators and organisations seeking to encourage sustainable behaviour.

The messenger: The messenger refers to the source of influence. Messengers may range from celebrities, athletes and politicians to healthcare workers, religious leaders, hairdressers, small business owners, family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. Organisations such as governments, businesses and media outlets can also shape behaviour through policies and campaigns. The effectiveness of a messenger depends on their trustworthiness, credibility and relevance to the audience.

The audience: The audience is shaped by factors such as age, income, values, identity, beliefs and political orientation. Audiences are not passive recipients of information however, and two-way engagement between messengers and audiences can be important.

The mode of influence: This examines how influence occurs, including through conversations, media, role modelling, social media, and the messages and actions from institutions. Establishing social norms also matters, as people often look to others to determine which behaviours are socially acceptable. Effective influence depends on aligning the messenger, audience and mode of influence.

The behavioural domain: This focuses on the behaviours being targeted – for instance, people’s use of transport, their diet, energy use, civic participation and professional actions. Behaviours that are highly visible (e.g. cycling), socially meaningful (e.g. choosing a plant-based diet) or where the best option is uncertain (e.g. deciding whether to install a heat pump) tend to be more susceptible to social influence, as it is in these situations that people often rely on social cues to guide their decisions.

Commenting on the new report, CAST member Dr Sam Hampton from the Department of Psychology at Bath said: “While there is widespread public concern about the effects of climate change, the changes that are needed to reduce its worst impacts are not happening quickly enough. Green choices and lifestyles need to become mainstream. To achieve this, we need to use the influence of different people and lean on social norms to cultivate environmentally friendly behaviours.

“In this paper, we review the literature on social influence for climate action, highlighting examples of success and identifying opportunities to use influence more smartly, to target particular behaviours and audiences, and to use the influence of key messengers like celebrities, brands and everyday community influencers.”

Professor Lorraine Whitmarsh, CAST director and researcher in the Department of Psychology at Bath, said: "Social norms – what we see and hear from others – are powerful, silent signals that profoundly shape our behaviour. In this paper, we show how to unlock the power of norms to accelerate action on climate change."

Dr Briony Latter, from CAST and the Cardiff University School of Psychology, said: “Addressing climate change requires widespread behavioural and societal change, so it’s important to understand how social influence can be utilised as part of that.

“We wanted to bring together evidence about the influence that different groups of people have and the different ways in which they could play a pivotal role in engagement and action on climate change.”

CAST is a collaboration between the University of Bath, the University of Manchester, the University of East Anglia and Cardiff University, as well as the charity Climate Outreach.