Engaging through enraging: Does inciting anger about climate change increase support for climate action?

Abstract

People are increasingly reporting feeling angry about climate change, but to what extent does this anger fuel climate change engagement? Climate anger is correlated with pro-climate action, but there is limited evidence about whether climate anger is causally linked to climate action. In our first study, we adapted an established anger induction paradigm to elicit participants' own rationale for being angry about inaction on climate change. Compared to control condition participants, those who completed the climate anger induction task were more willing to engage in collective action, make personal sacrifices for the environment, and reported stronger support for climate policies that were either punitive (e.g., taxes on polluters) or reparative (e.g., compensating those who suffer losses due to climate change). Because past research suggests the strength of the anger-action link depends on people's reasons for being angry about climate change, our second study aimed to induce anger specifically about the injustice of climate change. While completing this task was no more effective for climate outcomes than inducing anger about climate change more broadly, it did heighten pro-climate responding compared to a control condition, and – surprisingly – there was preliminary evidence it united responses across the political spectrum. Together, the findings contribute to a better understanding of the causal role of anger in activating support for climate solutions.