Telling people that 97 per cent of scientists agree on climate change could be the key to shifting public perception.

A recent study, which involved over 10,000 participants across 27 countries (including Australia) examined the impact of two key messages: that at least 97 per cent of climate scientists agree that human-caused climate change is occurring, and that 88 per cent believe it constitutes a crisis.

The study found that presenting the scientific consensus - that 97 per cent of climate scientists agree on the reality of human-caused climate change - significantly reduced misperceptions among the public. 

This reduction in misinformation led to slight increases in belief in climate change and concern about the issue. 

However, the study also revealed that while these messages were effective at shifting individual beliefs and concerns, they did not translate into increased support for public policy action on climate change.

One of the more compelling findings was that these consensus messages were particularly effective among groups that typically exhibit scepticism towards climate science. 

This includes individuals with right-leaning political ideologies and those with lower levels of trust in climate scientists. 

The study noted that “consensus messaging represents a non-polarizing tool useful for reaching a social consensus on climate change across different audiences”.

Interestingly, the additional message highlighting that 88 per cent of climate scientists view climate change as a crisis did not have a significant added impact. 

The researchers suggest this might be because public perceptions of the crisis are already relatively accurate, and the lower percentage might have diluted the message’s effectiveness.

The implications of these findings could be crucial for climate communication strategies. 

The research underscores that while consensus messaging can help correct public misperceptions and slightly increase concern, it alone may not be enough to galvanise broad support for policy changes. 

The full study is accessible here.

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