How do I feel when I think about taking action? Hope and boredom, not anxiety and helplessness, predict intentions to take climate action.

This research examines the extent to which four anticipatory emotional reactions (hope, anxiety, helplessness, and boredom) that arise when contemplating participating in public-sphere climate action predict intentions to engage in such action. In a large, geographically diverse sample of American adults visiting informal science learning centers (e.g., zoos, aquariums; N = 4964), stronger feelings of hope robustly predicted greater intentions to act (η2p = .22, a large effect); whereas stronger feelings of boredom robustly predicted decreased intention to act (η2p= .09, a medium effect). Both of these feelings had significantly more predictive power than political orientation (η>p = .04, a small-to-medium effect). The extent to which respondents felt anxious or helpless was not strongly correlated with their intentions to take action (η2ps ≈ 0.01, a small effect). These findings highlight the underexplored connection between how people feel when they contemplate taking climate action and their intentions to engage in such action.

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Work Title How do I feel when I think about taking action? Hope and boredom, not anxiety and helplessness, predict intentions to take climate action.
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Open Access
Creators
  1. Nathaniel Geiger
  2. Janet K. Swim
  3. Karen Gasper
  4. John Fraser
  5. Kate Flinner
Keyword
  1. pro-environmental behavior
  2. climate action
  3. affect
  4. anticipatory emotions
  5. hope
  6. boredom
License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. Elsevier BV
Publication Date August 2021
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. 10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101649
Source
  1. Journal of Environmental Psychology
Deposited May 23, 2022

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Version 1
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  • Created
  • Added Geiger 2021 Action emotions JEP for sharing-1.docx
  • Added Creator Nathaniel Geiger
  • Added Creator Janet K. Swim
  • Added Creator Karen Gasper
  • Added Creator John Fraser
  • Added Creator Kate Flinner
  • Published
  • Updated Work Title, Keyword, Description Show Changes
    Work Title
    • How do I feel when I think about taking action? Hope and boredom, not anxiety and helplessness, predict intentions to take climate action.
    • ! How do I feel when I think about taking action? Hope and boredom, not anxiety and helplessness, predict intentions to take climate action.
    Keyword
    • pro-environmental behavior, climate action, affect, anticipatory emotions, hope, boredom
    Description
    • <p>This research examines the extent to which four anticipatory emotional reactions (hope, anxiety, helplessness, and boredom) that arise when contemplating participating in public-sphere climate action predict intentions to engage in such action. In a large, geographically diverse sample of American adults visiting informal science learning centers (e.g., zoos, aquariums; N = 4964), stronger feelings of hope robustly predicted greater intentions to act (η<sup>2</sup><sub>p</sub> = .22, a large effect); whereas stronger feelings of boredom robustly predicted decreased intention to act (η<sup>2</sup><sub>p</sub> = .09, a medium effect). Both of these feelings had significantly more predictive power than political orientation (η<sup>2</sup><sub>p</sub> = .04, a small-to-medium effect). The extent to which respondents felt anxious or helpless was not strongly correlated with their intentions to take action (η<sup>2</sup><sub>p</sub>s ≈ 0.01, a small effect). These findings highlight the underexplored connection between how people feel when they contemplate taking climate action and their intentions to engage in such action.</p>
    • This research examines the extent to which four anticipatory emotional reactions (hope, anxiety, helplessness, and boredom) that arise when contemplating participating in public-sphere climate action predict intentions to engage in such action. In a large, geographically diverse sample of American adults visiting informal science learning centers (e.g., zoos, aquariums; N = 4964), stronger feelings of hope robustly predicted greater intentions to act (η2p = .22, a large effect); whereas stronger feelings of boredom robustly predicted decreased intention to act (η2p= .09, a medium effect). Both of these feelings had significantly more predictive power than political orientation (η>p = .04, a small-to-medium effect). The extent to which respondents felt anxious or helpless was not strongly correlated with their intentions to take action (η2ps ≈ 0.01, a small effect). These findings highlight the underexplored connection between how people feel when they contemplate taking climate action and their intentions to engage in such action.
  • Updated Creator Karen Gasper
  • Updated Work Title Show Changes
    Work Title
    • ! How do I feel when I think about taking action? Hope and boredom, not anxiety and helplessness, predict intentions to take climate action.
    • How do I feel when I think about taking action? Hope and boredom, not anxiety and helplessness, predict intentions to take climate action.
  • Updated Creator Karen Gasper
  • Updated