{"id":3051,"date":"2026-10-21T08:37:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-21T07:37:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/?p=3051"},"modified":"2026-10-21T09:21:45","modified_gmt":"2026-10-21T08:21:45","slug":"climate-action-is-social-what-this-means-for-policy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bath.ac.uk\/iprblog\/2026\/10\/21\/climate-action-is-social-what-this-means-for-policy\/","title":{"rendered":"Climate action is social: What this means for policy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Governments often rely on information campaigns to encourage people to change their behaviour, but climate action requires more than simply providing information. Drawing on research into social influence, Dr Sam Hampton<\/a> at the University of Bath explores how policymakers can better understand the people, relationships and institutions that shape behaviour, and use this insight to support low-carbon choices.<\/em><\/p>\n

Governments have a complicated relationship with behaviour change. Many policy goals depend, at least partly, on changes in what people do. But governments are understandably wary of being seen to tell people how to live, and interventions that appear too prescriptive can attract accusations of creating a \u2018nanny state\u2019.<\/p>\n

This tension is particularly apparent in climate policy. Meeting climate targets will involve changes to how homes are heated, how we travel and what we consume. Governments shape many of these choices through infrastructure, regulation and financial incentives. But when it comes to engaging the public directly with low-carbon choices and behaviours, a more familiar response is simply to fund public information campaigns.<\/p>\n

Governments could do much more to support behaviour change \u2013 including giving more attention to social influence.<\/p>\n

People make decisions in social settings. We observe what other people are doing, talk to friends and family, seek advice from people with relevant expertise, and draw conclusions from the actions of institutions and public figures. Some of these influences are deliberate, but social influence often happens through ordinary interactions and through signals about what other people do or expect.<\/p>\n

Our draws on social psychology, behavioural science and climate communication to examine how influence can support climate action. It identifies four interacting dimensions that can help policymakers think differently about behaviour change:<\/p>\n