Waltermann, Emily (2023) Framing Climate Change Messages on Instagram: The Effects of Goal Framing and Spatial Distance on Pro-Environmental Behavior. Master thesis, Psychology.
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Abstract
The increasingly detrimental consequences of climate change demand sustainable changes in human behavior. An effective approach to motivate such pro-environmental behavior lies in the stimulation of awareness by communicating climate change information. Therefore, this study aims to investigate how to optimize messages about climate change on Instagram based on Prospect Theory and Construal Level Theory. For this means, an online experiment with N = 331 and N = 210 was conducted, testing the influence of goal framing, spatial distance framing, and their interaction on information-seeking, intended, and actual pro-environmental behavior. The combinations gain / distant and loss / proximate were hypothesized to have the largest effect on the outcome variables. However, the results displayed no significant effects, suggesting that neither goal framing nor spatial distance framing influenced information-seeking, intended, or actual pro-environmental behavior. Further, the frames could not potentiate each other’s effectiveness when combined. Explanations for this, implications, and directions for future research are discussed. Advocating the consideration of individual factors when framing climate change information, this research is indicative for the design of climate change messages and provides an exploratory base for the application of Instagram in this context. Keywords: climate change, goal framing, spatial distance, Instagram
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Blerck, T. van |
| Degree programme: | Psychology |
| Differentiation route: | Environmental Psychology (EP) [Master Psychology] |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Feb 2023 09:07 |
| Last Modified: | 01 Feb 2023 09:07 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/1619 |
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