Explaining public support for climate change mitigation policies – a case study of Australia
Creators: name: Ha, Hieu
Publisher: name: RMIT University
Year: 2024

description: Climate change is one of our major contemporary challenges, and public support for climate change mitigation policies is essential to tackle this issue. It is generally agreed that public support for mitigation policies is driven by individuals’ beliefs in adverse impacts of climate change and their anthropogenic causes. However, there have been instances where strong beliefs in these two factors have not yielded full public support for mitigation policies, especially tough initiatives, such has been the case with Australia’s carbon tax. Exploring missing determinants of public support for mitigation policies remains a challenge for both policymakers and scholars. Furthermore, it has been argued that communications about climate change issues are nonlinear leading to information distortion when transferred from climate scientists to lay audiences thereby widening the attitudinal gaps between the two groups. Identifying theses gaps is important in order to more effectively communicate climate change information and therefore enhance mitigation efforts.<br><br>This thesis focuses on four constructs of perceived adverse impacts of climate change, perceived anthropogenic causes of climate change; perceived policy effectiveness, and feasibility to explain Australian public support for mitigation policies. The study draws from major theories in the field such as the Theory of Planned Behaviour, Risk Perception Theory, the Extended Parallel Process Model, and Social Dilemma literature. Examining field-surveyed samples of 1,476 general public and 140 climate scientist participants, the study reports important findings to enhance understanding of factors that lead to policy support.<br><br>This thesis found that perceived policy effectiveness plays a critical and complex role than previously thought and moderates the influence of perceived adverse impacts of climate change on supportive behaviour. Participants are unlikely to support a mitigation policy just because they are aware of possible adverse impacts of climate change, they would also consider policy effectiveness as the key factor in deciding whether they should sacrifice their immediate self-interests to mitigate climate change. It was also found that over-communicating adverse impacts of climate change may reduce the positive impact of perceived policy effectiveness on public support.<br><br>Moreover, the study found many significant differences in perceptions of the adverse impacts of climate change, and in evaluations of mitigation policies when contrasting the general public with climate scientist. These gaps were argued to be linked to differences between the two groups in their mitigation policy preferences. Moreover, data from the sample of climate scientists, who are assumed personal and/or political interests bias-free, endorses the dominant role of perceived policy effectiveness. They also have a preference for mandatory initiatives to mitigate prolonged and implicit impacts of climate change, such as sea-level rises.<br><br>In conclusion, this thesis suggests that perceived policy effectiveness is the key to public support for climate change mitigation policies, although common drivers such as perceived adverse impacts of climate change should not be ignored. Future research in the field of pro-environmental behaviour, and climate change communication campaigns should place more considerations to the construct of perceived policy effectiveness.