Climate Change Communication and Societal Engagement Strategies

Effective communication and engagement strategies are central to mobilising public support and fostering behavioural change in response to climate change. These strategies span the identification of diverse audiences, the tailoring of messages to align with values and priorities, and the use of inclusive narratives that resonate across cultural and socioeconomic contexts. Research highlights the importance of emphasising co-benefits such as health, economic opportunity or social justice alongside emissions reductions, and of correcting misperceptions about the prevalence of pro-climate attitudes. Practical applications range from global surveys that map public willingness to act through representative sampling, to local initiatives that deploy place-based storytelling, community workshops and participatory risk assessments. Insights into emotional engagement underscore the value of hopeful and solution-oriented frames, while coalition-building approaches demonstrate that linking climate policy with broader social and economic reforms can broaden support across demographic and ideological lines. Integrating multidisciplinary perspectives—spanning public health, behavioural science, political economy and cultural studies—ensures that communication is not only scientifically accurate but also socially relevant, culturally sensitive and capable of galvanising collective action at all levels.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have conducted a global survey of nearly 130,000 individuals in over 125 countries and found that although 69% are willing to allocate a portion of personal income to climate action, many underestimate peers’ willingness to act—a form of pluralistic ignorance. This gap in perceived social norms highlights the need for campaigns that publicise actual levels of public support to reinforce collective efficacy. Another investigation used a large-scale conjoint experiment across five countries to compare positive versus negative frames, thematic emphases (health, environment, economy, migration), scales (individual to global) and temporal perspectives. It determined that opportunity-focused messages, especially those framed around health and environmental benefits on a global and immediate scale, significantly bolster public support for climate policies, including among those initially unconcerned.

Climate Change Communication and Societal Engagement Strategies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in climate change communication and societal engagement strategies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Framing: The strategic selection and emphasis of certain aspects of an issue to influence audience interpretation and engagement.

Pluralistic ignorance: A social phenomenon in which individuals mistakenly believe that their personal attitudes or behaviours differ from those of the group.

Co-benefits: Ancillary advantages (for health, economy or social equity) that accompany primary climate mitigation or adaptation measures.

Audience segmentation: The process of dividing a heterogeneous population into subgroups with shared characteristics to tailor communication and engagement efforts.

Narrative: A structured account or story that conveys complex information through relatable events and characters, enhancing meaning and memorability.

References

1. Identifying Like-Minded Audiences for Global Warming Public Engagement Campaigns: An Audience Segmentation Analysis and Tool Development. PLOS ONE (2011).
2. Globally representative evidence on the actual and perceived support for climate action. Nature Climate Change (2024).
3. The role of place-based narratives of change in climate risk governance. Climate Risk Management (2020).
4. A public health frame arouses hopeful emotions about climate change. Climatic Change (2012).
5. Combining climate, economic, and social policy builds public support for climate action in the US. Environmental Research Letters (2020).
6. Positive, global, and health or environment framing bolsters public support for climate policies. Communications Earth & Environment (2022).
7. Framing climate change for effective communication: a systematic map. Environmental Research Letters (2020).
8. Climate change and uncertainty from ‘above’ and ‘below’: perspectives from India. Regional Environmental Change (2019).