Consequences of group-based misperceptions of climate concern for efficacy and action

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cresp.2024.100189
• Publication Date: 2024-02-14T05:49:59Z
• Authors: Zoe Leviston; Tanvi Nangrani; Samantha K. Stanley; Iain Walker
• Keywords: Better than average effect; Pro-environmental behaviour; 05 social sciences; Second-order beliefs; Social and Behavioral Sciences; Climate change concern; 333; BF1-990; Misperceptions; Social Justice; Physical Sciences and Mathematics; Psychology; 0501 psychology and cognitive sciences; Self-efficacy; Environmental Sciences

People tend to underestimate others' environmental values, including when judging the values of minority-status groups. Using a large national sample (N = 5110), we test whether these misperceptions extend concern about climate change in Australia, and differ depending on immigrant status, ethnicity, where one is located (i.e., or outside capital cities). We also examine consequences for self-efficacy pro-environmental behaviour. find personal high, but perceptions lower. Immigrants Australian-born participants have similarly high concern, both groups how concerned immigrants are. Southern-Central-Asian identifiers are most concerned; Australian relatively less so. All ethnic categories appeared their own ethnicity. City-dwellers had slightly higher than those regional rural areas, city-dwellers' was underestimated by people regardless location. Those who lower behavioural engagement compared overestimated this mediated self-efficacy. suggest that strategies promote efficacy go beyond attempting correct misperceptions, encompass approaches environmentally-relevant social interaction across different