Changing Minds about Climate Policy Can Be Done - Sometimes (…communicating…benefits…not enough)
http://researchnews.osu.edu/archive/climatemind.htm[font face=Serif]6/24/13
[font size=5]Changing Minds about Climate Policy Can Be Done - Sometimes[/font]
[font size=4]Simply communicating the benefits is not enough[/font]
[font size=3]COLUMBUS, Ohio Some open-minded people can be swayed to support government intervention on climate change but only if they are presented with both the benefits and the costs, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that those who were open-minded didnt change their view if they heard arguments for only one side of the issue.
The results suggest that climate change denialists may be less effective in swaying public opinion than many scientists and advocates fear, and may even hurt their own cause among those who are most open-minded, according to Nisbet.
Some people, when they hear both sides, will more carefully deliberate the tradeoffs of climate change policies and actually become more supportive of government efforts to mitigate the problem.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jcom.12040