Anger, hope and compassion do little to spur more climate donations
Emotional mechanisms are frequently used to inspire good environmental behavior. But how effective are they at inspiring actual sustainable change? Perhaps not as much as previously believed, according to a new study that challenged participants to put their money where their mouths are.
A new study challenges the notion that anger, compassion and hope can effectively inspire more climate donations. Researchers from NTNU's Department of Psychology in Norway found that while these emotions can increase intentions to act, they have little impact on actual pro-environmental behavior or donations. The study surveyed over 2,000 individuals in Norway and Poland, presenting them with stories designed to elicit each emotion.
Participants were then given the choice to donate their participation fees to charity. The unexpected result was that very few participants donated more money based on the emotional content they read, compared to those who did not read the stories. The researchers suggest that while these emotions do play a role in shaping people's understanding of climate change, they alone are not sufficient to produce measurable change.
Nonprofit organizations may benefit from understanding what truly motivates donors, but the emotional factors involved in climate change are complex and do not guarantee actual, measurable change on their own.
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