People are more likely to respond to environmental messaging, or take part in environmental actions, if it carries personal benefits, a new study from the University of Georgia has suggested.
The study, Developing Active Pro-Environmental Campaign Messaging: Variations in Belief Themes by Physical Activity and Pro-Environmental Behavior Participation, which was published in the Environment and Behavior journal, surveyed over 1,000 adults living in coastal regions of the United States, to examine the effectiveness of different forms of messaging in encouraging them to participate in litter clean-up efforts.
Positive impact
“When we think about messaging, sometimes we think we’re going to get attention if we tell people they’ll lose something, right? But the messages we generate might have a broader impact if they’re positive,” said Jennifer Gay, corresponding author of the study and an associate professor in the UGA College of Public Health.
“When messages and themes related to future environmental behaviours are positively framed, people see benefits about the environment but also their own health.”
The study asked participants to consider their own personal barriers to volunteering, and found that positive messaging linking environmental action to personal rewards consistently increased people’s intention to engage.
Where messages focused on physically active, meeting new people and improving mental wellbeing, this received a more favourable response than messages focused on protecting marine life or cleaning up beaches – i.e. where negative messaging was kept to a minimum.
The study also found that messaging can be tailored to different audiences, with those that were already physically active particularly responsive to framing litter collection as a form of exercise. At the same time, less physically active participants were receptive to opportunities to meet others and strengthen community ties.
Audience engagement
“There is potential to engage new audiences in litter prevention through campaign messages focused on these positive benefits,” added Katy Smith, co-author of the study and a public service associate with UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant. “We can use this to help promote environmental stewardship by showing the personal satisfaction gained in protecting the outdoor spaces we care about.”
The study was co-authored by Devin Land, a programme coordinator with UGA’s Archway Partnership and graduate of the UGA School of Social Work and College of Public Health, and Gavin Cloud, a College of Public Health graduate, as well as Jiaying Liu and Yidi Wang of the University of California Santa Barbara. Read more here.
