School of Psychology

Research Topics and Related Papers

Public engagement with climate change and low-carbon lifestyles:
This strand of research stems from my PhD, which examined public perceptions of, and behavioural responses to, climate change in flood-prone regions in the South of England. I particularly focussed on the roles of language and experience in how people understood and responded to climate change.

Since this time, I have worked with other researchers at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change on: perceived barriers to engaging with climate change; motivations for, and for not, purchasing carbon offsets; the links between different environmentally-significant behaviours, including whether pro-environmental self-identity predicts spill-over effects between behaviours; and attitudes to climate change (particularly focussing on uncertainty and scepticism). Data collection from UK residents has been via a postal survey and an online survey. My current research (with Adam Corner and Dimitrios Xenias) uses experiments to investigate how uncertain information about climate change is perceived and interpreted, and how prior attitudes and values influence this interpretation.

With Irene Lorenzoni (East Anglia) and Saffron O’Neill (Melbourne), I am editing a book on Engaging the public with climate change: behaviour change and communication which is due to be published by Earthscan later in 2010. This interdisciplinary volume features contributions from academics and practitioners involved in communicating climate change and encouraging low-carbon lifestyles.

In addition, I have received funding (on a consultancy basis) from DEFRA and WAG for several projects on pro-environmental attitudes and behaviour change. This includes two projects investigating the effectiveness of different approaches (informational, social, financial and structural) to encouraging energy-efficient behaviour change amongst students and staff within Higher Education; a literature review and workshop on breaking and creating habits for sustainability; and development of a segmentation model on environmental attitudes and behaviours in Wales. In addition, in 2009, I contributed to a major research synthesis on Public Attitudes to Environmental Change funded under the Living with Environmental Change cross-council research programme.

Within this research strand, I am also interested in testing novel ways of engaging the public with climate change. In 2009, I received funding from the RCUK Beacons for Public Engagement to work with a sustainable design expert (Elio Studios) and researchers at the University of East Anglia to produce creative installations of climate change data. These were unveiled at the Sustainable Living Festival at The Forum, Norwich, UK in May 2009. In another project (with David Ockwell, Surrey; and Saffron O’Neill, Melbourne), funded by the Science & Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, we are investigating whether participating in creative writing about climate change increases interest and concern about climate change, and willingness to change environmentally-significant behaviour.

Public/stakeholder participation in sustainability science and policy:
Within three European (FP6 and FP7) projects, ADAM, MATISSE and REACT, I have been involved in developing participatory methods and tools to enable the public and other stakeholders to deliberate over policies and novel technologies and, ultimately, contribute to decision-making about science and policy.

Much of this work was conducted through the MATISSE project (Methods and Tools for Integrated Sustainability Assessment) between 2005 and 2008. The project aimed to advance the science and application of Integrated Sustainability Assessment (ISA) in EU policy-making by improving the tool-kit and methods available for developing and assessing sustainability policies. This work focussed on developing participatory methods and modelling tools to support strategic decision-making in respect of sustainability issues, such as transport and consumption. Literature reviews and stakeholder engagement methods (including expert and citizen focus groups and questionnaires) were used to develop ‘visions’ and ‘pathways’ for sustainable futures in each case study (transport, consumption, water management). See: 

At a more local level, I was also involved in the Sense of Place project, funded by Norfolk Rural Community Council in 2007, which aimed to enable communities to become familiar with, and to influence, environmental issues, including landscape, ecological networks, green space, recreation and climate change. The project focussed on the design (in collaboration with various stakeholder groups) and delivery of a web-based decision-support toolkit.

Innovation, risk and behaviour change with respect to sustainable transport:
In the current FP7 REACT (Supporting Research on Climate-friendly Transport) project I am working on (with Dimitrios Xenias), we aim: to build networks and identify synergies in low-carbon transport research initiatives; to help shape the strategic direction of low-carbon transport research and development within Europe; to contribute to improving coordination between the European, national, regional and private research and development actions; and to help ensure knowledge about low-carbon transport is available and accessible for those who require it.

Dimitrios and I are also investigating the acceptability of different transport technologies and policies, and the factors affecting low-carbon transport behaviours. This research will compare different methodologies for eliciting preferences, including deliberative workshops, paired preference and ranking exercises.

Funding

British Psychological Society. (2009-11, £3,000). Psychology and Sustainability. BPS Research Seminars Competition. Whitmarsh, L., Pidgeon, N., Spence, A., Rabinovich, A. (Exeter) & Uzzell, D. (Surrey)

European Commission (Support Action - Framework Programme 7) (2009-11, £931,147). Supporting REseArch on Climate-friendly Transport (REACT). Roze, R. (Coventry University Enterprises), Rudolph, F. (Wuppertal Institute), Stylianidis,, S. (GeoImaging), Vitale, A.., Tavlaki, E. (Arachni), Radmilović, Z.., Cisic, D.. (Rijeka), Whitmarsh, L. & Špirić, Z..

ESRC. (2009-10, £29,600). Living With Environmental Change (LWEC) Research Synthesis. A review of public attitudes to environmental change. Upham, P. (Manchester), Whitmarsh, L., Poortinga, W., Purdam, K. (Manchester), Darnton, A. (AD Research & Analysis), & Devine-Wright, P. (Exeter)

Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research. (2008-10, £3,000). Carbon Offsetting and Pro-environmental Behaviour. Whitmarsh, L.

In addition, I have received funding (on a consultancy basis) from WAG and from DEFRA for several projects on pro-environmental behaviour change, through their Greener Living Fund and Action-Based Research fund.

Research Groups / Networks

Understanding Risk Group
ESRC Centre for Business Relationships, Accountability, Sustainability & Society (BRASS)
Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research

Research Collaborators

Dimitrios Xenias (Post-doctoral researcher; REACT project)

Nick Pidgeon and Understanding Risk group Climate Change Consortium for Wales; URI Sustainable Places; BPS Seminar Series; LWEC research synthesis; WAG segmentation research; research on perceptions of climate change and environmental behaviour

Saffron O’Neill (Melbourne) research on perceptions of climate change

Irene Lorenzoni (East Anglia) research on perceptions of climate change; co-editing WIREs Climate Change

David Ockwell (Surrey) research on engaging with climate change

Bas Verplanken (Bath) research on pro-environmental behaviour and breaking/creating habits

Andrew Darnton (AD Research & Analysis) research on pro-environmental behaviour and breaking/creating habits