The phrases “climate change” and “global warming” resonate more with the public compared to other similar terms and trigger greater concern over the planet’s rising temperatures, as highlighted by a USC study published in the journal Climatic Change.
The research started by assessing how well people know the terms “global warming,” “climate change,” “climate crisis,” “climate emergency,” and “climate justice.” Nearly 90% of participants recognized “climate change” and “global warming,” while awareness significantly declined for the other phrases, with only 33% familiar with “climate justice.”
According to Wändi Bruine de Bruin, the study’s lead author and head of the Behavioral Science & Policy Initiative at the USC Schaeffer Institute for Public Policy & Government Service, “Familiar terms resonate better with people. It’s challenging to feel concerned about something you’re not confident you’ve encountered before.”
The study further explored how each term influenced concern, urgency, support for climate-friendly policies, and the willingness to reduce red meat consumption. (Since red meat production significantly contributes to climate change and other environmental issues, reducing consumption can help lessen one’s environmental impact.) The research also assessed how these perceptions varied by political affiliation.
In general, “climate change” and “global warming” were perceived as the most familiar, concerning, and urgent, while “climate justice” garnered the lowest ratings, with “climate crisis” and “climate emergency” falling in between. Overall support for climate policies and openness to reducing red meat consumption were similar across all terms used (refer to Table 3).
However, responses diverged notably based on political party affiliation. For instance:
- 91% of Democrats and 74% of Independents expressed significant concern for “climate change,” while only 37% of Republicans did.
- Seventy-one percent of Democrats showed concern for “climate justice,” compared to 46% of Independents and only 23% of Republicans. The paper highlighted that familiarity and concern for “climate justice” might be lower due to fewer individuals recognizing the term or its more divisive nature politically.
- In terms of willingness to support policies linked to “global warming,” 96% of Democrats agreed, against 85% of Independents and 61% of Republicans.
- A majority of participants overall indicated a willingness to eat less red meat, regardless of the term used to promote the action. However, less than half of Republicans agreed to reduce meat consumption, while over 89% of Democrats supported this idea, with Independents falling in between.
The study involved 5,137 U.S. individuals randomly selected from the USC Dornsife’s Understanding America Study.
The research was co-authored by Laurel Kruke, a Ph.D. student at the USC Rossier School of Education; Gale M. Sinatra, the Stephen H. Crocker Chair, Professor of Education and Psychology, and Associate Dean for Research at USC Rossier; and Norbert Schwartz, Provost Professor of Psychology and Marketing at USC Dornsife and USC Marshall School of Business. Additionally, Bruine de Bruin serves as the Provost Professor of Public Policy, Psychology, and Behavioral Science at USC Price School of Public Policy and USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
This research received funding partly from the USC Dornsife Wrigley Institute for Environment and Sustainability, with Bruine de Bruin receiving extra support from the Golden Belt Community Foundation.