Email outreach attracts the US policymakers’ attention to climate change but common advocacy techniques do not improve engagement
Abstract One of the most challenging aspects of climate change mitigation today is not identifying solutions but reaching political leaders with climate scientists’ existing solutions. Although there is substantial research on climate change communication, research rarely focuses on one of the most...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2025-02-01
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| Series: | Communications Earth & Environment |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02055-0 |
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| _version_ | 1832571228720726016 |
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| author | Riley N. Loria Jessica Pugel Matthew H. Goldberg Deborah A. Halla Rebecca Bascom J. Taylor Scott Max Crowley Elizabeth C. Long |
| author_facet | Riley N. Loria Jessica Pugel Matthew H. Goldberg Deborah A. Halla Rebecca Bascom J. Taylor Scott Max Crowley Elizabeth C. Long |
| author_sort | Riley N. Loria |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract One of the most challenging aspects of climate change mitigation today is not identifying solutions but reaching political leaders with climate scientists’ existing solutions. Although there is substantial research on climate change communication, research rarely focuses on one of the most impactful groups: policymakers. It is essential to test theoretically sound methods to increase lawmakers’ attention to research evidence. In a series of four rapid-cycle randomized controlled email trials (N = 6642–7620 per trial), we test three common and theoretically derived advocacy tactics to increase U.S. policymaker engagement with a climate change fact sheet sent via email (i.e., a norms manipulation, a number focused manipulation, and emotional language manipulation). In all four trials, the control message increased engagement more than messages using advocacy tactics, measured by fact sheet clicks. This demonstrates the importance of testing communication methods within the appropriate populations, especially a population with considerable influence over climate policy. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-41cefd6fc6024ccbb13492a2e85524b4 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2662-4435 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-02-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications Earth & Environment |
| spelling | doaj-art-41cefd6fc6024ccbb13492a2e85524b42025-02-02T12:44:01ZengNature PortfolioCommunications Earth & Environment2662-44352025-02-01611910.1038/s43247-025-02055-0Email outreach attracts the US policymakers’ attention to climate change but common advocacy techniques do not improve engagementRiley N. Loria0Jessica Pugel1Matthew H. Goldberg2Deborah A. Halla3Rebecca Bascom4J. Taylor Scott5Max Crowley6Elizabeth C. Long7Department of Psychology, University of Colorado BoulderEvidence-to-Impact Collaborative, Pennsylvania State UniversityYale Program on Climate Change Communication, Yale UniversityEvidence-to-Impact Collaborative, Pennsylvania State UniversityDepartment of Medicine; Department of Public Health Sciences, Pennsylvania State UniversityEvidence-to-Impact Collaborative, Pennsylvania State UniversityEvidence-to-Impact Collaborative, Pennsylvania State UniversityEvidence-to-Impact Collaborative, Pennsylvania State UniversityAbstract One of the most challenging aspects of climate change mitigation today is not identifying solutions but reaching political leaders with climate scientists’ existing solutions. Although there is substantial research on climate change communication, research rarely focuses on one of the most impactful groups: policymakers. It is essential to test theoretically sound methods to increase lawmakers’ attention to research evidence. In a series of four rapid-cycle randomized controlled email trials (N = 6642–7620 per trial), we test three common and theoretically derived advocacy tactics to increase U.S. policymaker engagement with a climate change fact sheet sent via email (i.e., a norms manipulation, a number focused manipulation, and emotional language manipulation). In all four trials, the control message increased engagement more than messages using advocacy tactics, measured by fact sheet clicks. This demonstrates the importance of testing communication methods within the appropriate populations, especially a population with considerable influence over climate policy.https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02055-0 |
| spellingShingle | Riley N. Loria Jessica Pugel Matthew H. Goldberg Deborah A. Halla Rebecca Bascom J. Taylor Scott Max Crowley Elizabeth C. Long Email outreach attracts the US policymakers’ attention to climate change but common advocacy techniques do not improve engagement Communications Earth & Environment |
| title | Email outreach attracts the US policymakers’ attention to climate change but common advocacy techniques do not improve engagement |
| title_full | Email outreach attracts the US policymakers’ attention to climate change but common advocacy techniques do not improve engagement |
| title_fullStr | Email outreach attracts the US policymakers’ attention to climate change but common advocacy techniques do not improve engagement |
| title_full_unstemmed | Email outreach attracts the US policymakers’ attention to climate change but common advocacy techniques do not improve engagement |
| title_short | Email outreach attracts the US policymakers’ attention to climate change but common advocacy techniques do not improve engagement |
| title_sort | email outreach attracts the us policymakers attention to climate change but common advocacy techniques do not improve engagement |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-025-02055-0 |
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