Climate change believers were most likely to endorse federal climate policies; skeptics were most likely to report pro-environmental behavior

Believing in climate change, but not behaving sustainably: Evidence from a one-year longitudinal study. Michael P. Hall, Neil A. Lewis Jr, Phoebe C. Ellsworth. Journal of Environmental Psychology, Volume 56, April 2018, Pages 55–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2018.03.001

Highlights
•    We conducted a one-year longitudinal study of 600 Americans' climate beliefs.
•    Cluster analyses found three distinct groups based on climate belief trajectories.
•    Climate change believers were most likely to endorse federal climate policies.
•    Climate change skeptics were most likely to report pro-environmental behavior.

Abstract: We conducted a one-year longitudinal study in which 600 American adults regularly reported their climate change beliefs, pro-environmental behavior, and other climate-change related measures. Using latent class analyses, we uncovered three clusters of Americans with distinct climate belief trajectories: (1) the “Skeptical,” who believed least in climate change; (2) the “Cautiously Worried,” who had moderate beliefs in climate change; and (3) the “Highly Concerned,” who had the strongest beliefs and concern about climate change. Cluster membership predicted different outcomes: the “Highly Concerned” were most supportive of government climate policies, but least likely to report individual-level actions, whereas the “Skeptical” opposed policy solutions but were most likely to report engaging in individual-level pro-environmental behaviors. Implications for theory and practice are discussed.

Keywords: Climate change; Cluster analysis; Attitudes; Beliefs; Behavior