The impact of climate change awareness on behavioral changes in Germany: changing minds or changing behavior?
The impact of climate change awareness on behavioral changes in Germany: changing minds or changing behavior?
复制标题
气候变化意识对德国行为变化的影响：改变想法还是改变行为？
DOI：
--
复制
发表时间：
2022
期刊：
影响因子：
--
通讯作者：
Maria Belka
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
S. Venghaus;M. Henseleit;Maria Belka
全球极端天气事件日益频繁，关于缓解气候变化的政治紧迫性的国际辩论日益激烈，以及相应的要求采取更多行动的社会运动，这些都大大提高了人们对气候变化的认识。然而，很少有研究系统地分析这种发展对行为的影响。因此，以德国为例，我们仔细研究了最近气候变化意识的提高是否主要引发了公众对环境和可持续问题的看法的变化，或者是否导致了可持续的行为转变。基于以前的研究，我们认为气候变化意识的提高可以通过两种途径引发变化：(A)直接导致行为变化，以做出更可持续的消费决策；(B)间接通过对政治进程施加压力。流动性、食品消费和住房这三个消费部门的分析数据证实了态度-行为差距的持续存在：尽管人们对气候保护有广泛的、强烈的积极态度，对气候变化的问题意识也越来越高，但到目前为止，这种态度还没有立即转化为显著的行为变化。然而，关于对政治议程设置的影响，影响要直接得多。选举结果证实了政治进程面临的强大压力，主要是通过选民行为的转变。结果表明，气候变化意识的提高在人口和政治领域都激起了围绕气候变化的辩论的势头。在媒体对未来星期五运动和相关活动的密集报道的推动下，已经引发了滚雪球效应，为更有效和更严格的气候政策的重大转变打开了一扇机会之窗。政治家和决策者现在有机会在民众的大力支持下实施可持续发展措施，即使这些措施意味着更高的成本。无论目前的生活方式是否会进一步转变为更可持续的生活方式，未来几年应该仔细监测生活方式的变化，因为相关数据现在才能获得。
The increasing frequency of extreme weather events across the globe, the intensifying international debates about the political urgency to mitigate climate change, as well as the respective more action demanding social movements have caused a significant increase in climate change awareness among the population. Little research, however, has systematically analyzed the behavioral impact of this development. Using Germany as a case study, we therefore scrutinize whether the recent increase in climate change awareness triggered mainly changes in public perceptions concerning environmental and sustainability issues or whether it has led to sustainable behavioral shifts. Based on previous research, we considered two routes through which an increase in climate change awareness can instigate changes: (a) directly by leading to behavioral changes towards more sustainable consumption decisions, or (b) indirectly by exerting pressure on the political process. The analyzed data in the three consumption sectors of mobility, food consumption and housing confirm the continuing prevalence of an attitude–behavior gap: although there is a broad, strongly positive attitude towards climate protection and increasingly high problem awareness of climate change, so far this attitude does not immediately translate into notable behavioral changes. With regard to effects on political agenda setting, however, the effects are much more immediate. The results confirm strong pressure on the political process mainly through shifts in voter behavior. The results show that the increase in climate change awareness has spurred dynamics in the debate around climate change both among the population and in the political realm. Fueled by the intense media coverage of the Fridays For Future movement and related activities, a snowball effect has been set off, opening a window of opportunity for significant shifts towards more effective and rigorous climate policies. Politicians and decision-makers now have the opportunity to implement sustainability measures with strong support of the population, even if these imply higher costs. Whether there will be further shifts in the current lifestyle towards a more sustainable one, lifestyle changes should be carefully monitored in the coming years, as relevant data are only now becoming available.