How tailored climate information affects attitudes towards climate policy and psychological distance of climate change

Abstract

How does personally tailored climate impact information affect attitudes towards climate policy paths? We developed an online tool to depict the outcomes of downscaled climate models and a personalised vulnerability estimate. A survey representing Finnish public was conducted to find out the attitudes towards climate policies and psychological distance of climate change among different demographic groups before and after using the tool. We found that tailored information increases knowledge on climate impacts, but the effect on policy attitudes depends on demographic attributes (especially age and income) and related personal vulnerability. After using the tool, the respondents’ confidence in their knowledge increased and the potential of climate policies to alleviate changes in the environment was perceived as higher. Most respondents perceived climate impacts as spatially proximal, while temporally and socially there was more variation. For those with low vulnerability levels, climate impacts appeared as more distant after obtaining tailored information.