Climate Communication works: New study shows that factual information can also convince climate skeptics
A new study involving Mannheim social scientist Dr. Stefano Balietti shows that factual reporting on climate change can have an impact even on skeptical readers. Contrary to popular belief, well-founded information increases concern about climate change, even among those who have previously been skeptical.
press release from 26 May 2025
print version (PDF)
Many people hold the view that climate skeptics are generally not open to new ideas. This pessimistic outlook can lead to halting communication efforts before they even begin. A recent study challenges this assumption—researchers conducted surveys with several hundred people in the United States to see how they respond to real news articles about climate change, especially those who had doubts about man-made climate change.
The results show: contrary to expectations, the attitudes of climate skeptics are definitely changing. Their concern about climate change increases when they encounter evidence-based information. Notably, climate change skeptics react more openly than both supporters and they themselves would have expected. However, the study also identified an important catch: Even if doubters reconsider their stance, this rarely translates into political commitment or the intention to act in a climate-friendly way. “Our study consisted in one single exposure to a climate change news, and we showed that it is enough to affects beliefs; however, changing behavior might require repeated access to information about climate change. Still, the fact that climate skeptics thought to be unaffected by the news and then reconsidered their positions leaves us hope that pro-environmental behavior might improve eventually.”
The findings of the study contradict the general assumption that climate change skeptics are resistant to learning and stress the need for persistent and targeted outreach methods. In order to promote broad social support for climate protection measures, credible information and a willingness to address skeptical audiences are needed.
The study
Tohidi, A., Balietti, S. Fraiberger, S., Balietti, A. (2025). Divergence between predicted and actual perception of climate information. PNAS Nexus, Vol. 4, Issue 3.
Read the entire study: https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgaf084
Contact:
Stefano Balietti, Ph.D.
Chair of Data Science in Economics and Social Sciences
University of Mannheim
E-mail: stefano.baliettiuni-mannheim.de
Fabio Kratzmaier
Research Communication
University of Mannheim
Phone: +49 621 181-3298
E-mail: fabio.kratzmaieruni-mannheim.de