Predictors of Pro-environmental Beliefs, Behaviors, and Policy Support among Climate Change Skeptics

Abstract

Previous research suggests that climate skeptics may hold a series of environmental concerns and support for environmental policy that, if engaged with, could serve to (in part) mitigate climate change. Using a unique data set from an online survey of 1,000 adults in the U.S. Pacific Northwest who are uncertain or skeptical of anthropogenic climate change, we explore the diversity of environmental concerns, environmental behaviors, and support for pro-environmental policy within and among those who do not accept climate science. Our results reveal statistically significant and consistent positive effects of (negative) environmental experiences on climate change skeptics’ environmental concerns, behaviors, and policy support. We also find that, among climate skeptics, religious ideation, conspiracy ideation, science distrust, political ideology (conservative), and gender (men) are negatively associated with certain pro-environmental attitudes, behaviors, and support for pro-environmental policy initiatives. We discuss the implications of these findings for climate change and science communication, environmental campaigns, and policy development.