A rising tide: Strengthening public permission for climate action

Article

This paper aims to provide direction for campaigners looking to inoculate voters from the culture war division on climate change, and to build and sustain further public support for climate action.

One of the by-products of climate change being so multifaceted is that there are almost infinite ways to discuss it. You can focus on risk or opportunity, jobs or generations, humans, or the natural world, and so on. This begs the question: which of these many stories is the most powerful in building permission for climate action with ordinary voters?

There are numerous ways we can rise to that challenge. Rebuttal is important, but so is telling our own compelling story to voters. A big task is keeping the salience – that is, prioritisation – of climate change relatively high among ordinary voters, especially as other issues (such as the cost of living or the war in Ukraine) compete for the public’s attention.

This paper sought an answer to the question: 'Which thematic narrative or message performs best to increase permission among UK voters for government action on climate change?'

Click the links below to download the full randomised control trial (RCT) data below.

Full data - national average

Full data - over 40s

Full data - non-graduates

Related items

  1. The great enabler: transport’s role in tackling environmental crises and delivering progressive change

    In this special issue of IPPR Progressive Review we bring together leading political, academic and civil society thinkers to consider transport in modern Britain and its role in delivering a healthier, greener, more prosperous and…

  2. The shape of devolution

    How do we create transparent, fair and practical footprints for local power across England?
  3. Wind turbines near the Scottish borders on a sunny day

    Everything everywhere, all at once: The need for a four nations approach to accelerate wind deployment in the UK

    The UK is a world leader in wind deployment and has some of the most ambitious future wind capacity targets in the world, aiming for clean power by 2030.