Affiliation: London School of Economics

Abstract:

Collective Licensing or Compensation? The Impact of Institutional Climate Inaction on Individual Behaviour

Anandita Sabherwal1, Ganga Shreedhar1, Lorraine Whitmarsh2, Adam Pearson3

1 London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

2 University of Bath, UK

3 Pomona College, CA, USA

When it comes to addressing climate change, many of our institutions seem to be failing us. Evidence of governments’ and corporations’ continued environmental exploitation is rampant. In this research we ask, how do discourses of institutional inaction impact individual pro-environmental attitudes and behaviour? Understanding this psychology is vital because individuals often take cues from institutions that are charged with solving problems at the societal level. And many institutional solutions inherently require people to “do their part” such as adopt energy efficient technologies.

Across three studies, employing both qualitative and quantitative methods (N=2300 UK adults), we find evidence for what we term collective compensation– reflecting on institutional inaction drives individuals to increase their pro-environmental effort. This effect is present among those with low trust in government and explained by their increased sense of personal responsibility. Contrastingly, among conservatives, we observe trends of collective licensing– reflecting on institutional inaction makes them feel licensed or permitted to reduce their efforts.

By assessing the interaction between systemic entities and individual psychology, this research points to the collective nature of the climate crisis and aims to bridge the s-frame – i-frame divide in behavioural science. In the talk, I will discuss potential psychological mechanisms underlying both these effects and invite your input on future directions for this research.