Citizen-led emission reductions: Behaviour change intention is positively correlated to citizen enjoyment and learning in public engagement activities

Fogg Rogers, Laura; Sardo, Margarida; Laggan, Sophie

Abstract

Science communicators need to co-create engagement activities which are enjoyable, inclusive, and attractive to diverse citizens representing regional demographics. Over 8,300 people from six European countries took part in the ClairCity project, aiming to raise awareness of air pollution and carbon emissions. Public engagement activities crowd-sourced potential policy interventions and were tailored to diverse groups; ranging from surveys (approaching population representation), citizen videos, school activities, a mobile game, and community workshops. Policy results were ratified by stakeholder and expert workshops. Analysis of an evaluation sample, N=855 people (10.3%), highlighted that across all activities, a statistically significant positive correlation indicated the more participants enjoyed an activity, the more they reported their understanding of air quality had improved. Behaviour change intention was also significantly positively correlated to understanding, with 73% of participants indicating they would make a life change to improve air quality. While climate change and air pollution are serious issues, public engagement to raise awareness and improve participation in policymaking does not have to be. To fully realise the goal of citizen-led emissions reduction, policymakers need to co-create engagement activities which involve under-represented groups on policymaking such as women and young people. Ultimately, the more enjoyable the engagement activities, the more people gain understanding about the issues, and the more likely people are to make a change to their behaviour to reduce air pollution and carbon emissions and so improve public and environmental health.

• Presentation Conference Type: Presentation / Talk
• Conference Name: Public Communication of Science and Technology 2023 (PCST2023)
• Start Date: Apr 11, 2023
• End Date: Apr 14, 2023
• Deposit Date: May 26, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Jul 18, 2024
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10822500
• Related Public URLs: https://pcst2023.nl/