A qualitative and quantitative study of radical pro-environmental social change as anticipated future loss and threat: A gender perspective

Abstract

Degrowth-oriented climate change mitigation policies offer inspiring possibilities for future societies. However, they require radical change to individual and collective behaviours; and research has not yet fully addressed how people may anticipate future loss and threat when confronted with such policies. This study proposes a twofold examination of anticipated reactions to pro-environmental degrowth-oriented minority influence. First, we conducted a qualitative study of 21 semi-structured interviews. Both thematic analysis and consensual approach methodologies were adopted to explore emerging trends in the perception of a minority call to reduce human overpopulation, consumption of natural resources, and infrastructural incursions into nature. Results revealed three recurring themes: loss of individual freedom, fear of extremism, and loss of comfort. Second, a quantitative study (N = 488) followed up these results by testing the hypothesis that anticipated loss would be associated to a gendered perception of threat. In line with our conjecture regarding the relationship between policy change, status quo preservation, and gender, moderation analysis showed that men reported more threat than women, the more perceptions of degrowth-oriented policies were anticipated as a loss. Implications for a future-forming approach of research and policy making are discussed considering perceiving radical pro-environmental change as a threatening loss.