Perceived naturalness emerges as key driver of public support for climate technology
A University of Colorado Boulder study suggests that public support for climate technologies is heavily influenced by the perceived 'naturalness' of the solution. Researchers found that framing engineered solutions as being aligned with nature can significantly increase public acceptance across political lines.
Why it matters
Understanding the psychological barriers to climate technology adoption is critical for policymakers and scientists attempting to implement sustainable solutions.
by Lisa Marshall, University of Colorado at Boulder
edited by Sadie Harley , reviewed by Robert Egan
This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:
Add as preferred source Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain From nuclear energy to lab-grown meat, the list of effective but unpopular climate solutions is long. A new University of Colorado Boulder study sheds light on why people reject or accept some proposed sustainability technologies: If it doesn't seem natural, they won't go for it. And that holds across political ideologies.
"We found that naturalness predicts support over and above a lot of other things you might think matter, like risk and benefit perceptions or how much people understand the technology," said first author Sarah Gonzalez-Coffin, who earned her doctorate in social psychology from CU Boulder in May.
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