People-watching and the environment: Looking for signs of hope while concern outpaces action

Abstract

The social landscape of climate change is shifting. As more people acknowledge the urgency of the problem and society's underwhelming response to it, climate despair threatens to become a major contributor to personal inaction. At this moment, people need a reason for hope. Recent research shows that climate hope, where it exists, is largely social: People feel hopeful when they see others taking action. 'People-watching' is therefore critical. But capitalizing on social proof is tricky as long as concern outpaces action. Other recent research elegantly responds to this conundrum by advertising improvements in social norms, setting people up to find cause for hope even when action is low. We close by nominating other possible social paths to increased hope.

Keywords: Climate; Decision making; Motivation; Proenvironmental behavior; Social norms.