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Matthew HornseyKelly FieldingEmily Harris
University of Queensland
Despite being more educated and information-rich than ever, society holds some stubbornly anti-science views.
climate change is happening and is being caused by human activity
56%
we are just witnessing a
normal fluctuation in the earth's
climate32%
don't know12%
Poll of Australians Nov 2015
Explication …If we just explain the evidence more, or more simply, or more convincingly, then people would agree (the “deficit model”)
� No reliable relationship between understanding evolutionary theory and accepting it as true
� No evidence that giving people corrective information about the myths around vaccination changes the minds of anti-vaxxers.
� Exposure to arguments often leads to attitude polarization … people become more extreme in the direction of their pre-existing attitude
People don’t act like cognitive scientists, carefully weighing up evidence. They behave more like cognitive lawyers, focusing on only one side of the argument in an effort to defend their pre-existing worldview.
So if people are motivated to reject the science, then repeating the science won’t help.
People don’t act like cognitive scientists, carefully weighing up evidence. They behave more like cognitive lawyers, focusing on only one side of the argument in an effort to defend their pre-existing worldview.
So if people are motivated to reject the science, then repeating the science won’t help.
But why would people be motivated to reject science?
Ideologies
Conspiratorial ideation
Vested interest
Social identities
Personal identity expression
Anxieties/phobias
I don’t believe in climate change
Attitude roots
Vaccines are toxicMy future is in the stars
Surface attitudes
GM food is wrong
Humans were created in their present form
Hornsey & Fielding, 2017, American
Psychologist
People who believe in the free-market – or who are comfortable with the idea of society being split into “haves” and “have-nots” – might resist scientific messages that imply government intervention or costs to big business (e.g., climate change)
0.117
0.182
0.052
-0.296
0.258
0.275
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35
Education
Knowledge
Extreme weather experience
Free market ideology
Egalitarianism
Communitarianism
Correlation with belief in climate change
Hornsey, Harris, Bain & Fielding, 2016, Nature Climate Change
0.029
0.032
0.057
0.117
0.125
0.149
0.301
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35
sex
race
income
education
age
political ideology
political affiliation
Correlation with belief in climate change
Hornsey, Harris, Bain & Fielding, 2016, Nature Climate Change
Those who intend to vote conservative are more skeptical
Those with more conservative ideology more skeptical
−0.4 0 0.2 0.6Left−Right
USAUKNew ZealandIrelandCanadaAustraliaSwedenSpainSouth KoreaSouth AfricaSingaporePortugalPolandPhilippinesMexicoJapanIndonesiaIndiaHong KongGermanyFranceChinaChileBrazilArgentina
0.44 [ 0.30, 0.57] 0.08 [−0.08, 0.25] 0.13 [−0.03, 0.28] 0.10 [−0.06, 0.25] 0.16 [ 0.01, 0.32] 0.30 [ 0.15, 0.45]
0.10 [−0.05, 0.25] 0.13 [−0.02, 0.29]−0.00 [−0.17, 0.16] 0.07 [−0.09, 0.23] 0.22 [ 0.07, 0.37]
0.08 [−0.07, 0.23] 0.16 [ 0.00, 0.32]
0.03 [−0.13, 0.19] 0.13 [−0.02, 0.28] 0.20 [ 0.05, 0.35] 0.18 [ 0.02, 0.34]
−0.20 [−0.37, −0.04]−0.06 [−0.23, 0.10]−0.04 [−0.21, 0.13] 0.01 [−0.15, 0.17]−0.02 [−0.18, 0.15]−0.08 [−0.24, 0.08] 0.08 [−0.08, 0.25] 0.06 [−0.10, 0.22]
0.09 [ 0.04, 0.15]
The further the bar is to the right, the stronger the relationship between political conservatism and climate scepticism …
Some people come to believe that it is possible for vast networks of people to execute sinister plots in near-perfect secrecy. Over time, these beliefs can consolidate into a unitary “conspiracist” worldview.
Was already deadStill alive
Wood, Douglas & Sutton, 2012, SPPS
Was already deadStill alive
.24**
Wood, Douglas & Sutton, 2012, SPPS
0.1660.449
0.2550.536
0.1650.196
0.3030.489
0.2930.387
0.3280.278
0.2440.17
0.4140.3160.3170.3210.326
0.3890.338
0.2340.353
0.4430.419
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6
ARGENTINAAUSTRALIA
BRAZILCANADA
CHILECHINA
FRANCEGERMANY
HONG KONGINDIA
INDONESIAIRELAND
JAPANMEXICO
NEW ZEALANDPHILIPPINES
POLANDPORTUGAL
SINGAPORESOUTH AFRICASOUTH KOREA
SPAINSWEDEN
UKUSA
Correlation between conspiratorial beliefs and anti-vaxx attitudes
Hornsey, Harris, & Fielding 2018,
Health Psychology
-0.0150.127
0.2130.214
0.0240.138
0.2270.32
0.2320.264
0.0320.293
0.189-0.016
0.2980.154
0.2030.116
0.2060.142
0.2480.112
0.2040.196
0.279
-0.05 0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35
ARGENTINAAUSTRALIA
BRAZILCANADA
CHILECHINA
FRANCEGERMANY
HONG KONGINDIA
INDONESIAIRELAND
JAPANMEXICO
NEW ZEALANDPHILIPPINES
POLANDPORTUGAL
SINGAPORESOUTH AFRICASOUTH KOREA
SPAINSWEDEN
UKUSA
Correlation between conspiratorial beliefs and anti-nanotechnology attitudes
People who want to hide from the world that they have an excessive fear of needles and blood – or an excessive fear of contamination - may be tempted to unify and legitimize those fears within a philosophy that rejects the validity of technomedical interventions.
0.1560.363
0.3850.304
0.140.153
0.0640.265
0.110.33
0.2990.18
0.1090.182
0.2570.096
0.1950.203
0.1040.244
0.2350.042
0.2050.328
0.283
0 0.05 0.1 0.15 0.2 0.25 0.3 0.35 0.4 0.45
ARGENTINAAUSTRALIA
BRAZILCANADA
CHILECHINA
FRANCEGERMANY
HONG KONGINDIA
INDONESIAIRELAND
JAPANMEXICO
NEW ZEALANDPHILIPPINES
POLANDPORTUGAL
SINGAPORESOUTH AFRICASOUTH KOREA
SPAINSWEDEN
UKUSA
Correlation between blood / needle disgust and anti-vaxx attitudes
In the world of motivated reasoning, argumentation about evidence is a pointless charade; analogous to shadow-boxing.
“Each contestant lands heavy blows to the opponent’s shadow, then wonders why she doesn’t fall down” (Haidt, 2001)
Jiu jitsu persuasion
Rather than taking on people’s surface attitudes directly, the goal of jiu jitsu persuasion is to identify the underlyingmotivation, and then to tailor the message so that it aligns with that motivation. For example, rather than trying to directly combat an attitude that’s based on core values and ideologies, the goal would be to yield to those values and to use them to capture attention and trigger change.
* Belief in climate science rebounds among conservatives if they’re led to believe that global warming can be remedied by solutions that are free-market friendly (Campbell & Kay, 2014, JPSP)
* Climate sceptics are more likely to engage in pro-environmental intentions when the co-benefits of mitigation for promoting green technologies are emphasised (Bain, Hornsey, Bongiorno & Jeffries, 2012, Nature Climate Change)
* A message that framed pro-environmental action as patriotic and system-preserving increased pro-environmental intentions among conservatives (Feygina, Jost & Goldsmith, PSPB, 2010)
Ideologies
Conspiratorial ideation
Vested interest
Social identities
Personal identity expression
Anxieties/phobias
I don’t believe in climate change
Attitude roots
Vaccines are toxicMy future is in the stars
Surface attitudes
GM food is wrong
Humans were created in their present form
Hornsey & Fielding, 2017, American
Psychologist
Humans evolved with God guiding
31%
God created humans in
present form42%
Humans evolved but God had no
part in the process
19%
No opinion8%
Gallup poll Americans 2014
41
37
32
31
26
25
21
21
19
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45
ESP
houses can be haunted
ghosts
telepathy
clairvoyance
astrology
talking to the dead
witches
humans evolved without help from God
% believe in … Gallup polls of Americans