Norm Neutralization and Climate Inaction: Application of the Norm Activation Model to Climate Change

Although climate change understanding and concern have grown in recent years among the U.S. public, Americans remain divided about climate action. This paradox reflects the barriers in translating concern to behavior and underscores a need to explore the cognitive mechanisms inhibiting climate action. To this end, we examined how individuals apply psychological techniques, namely denial of responsibility, denial of injury, denial of victim, condemning the condemner, and appealing to higher loyalties, to justify climate inaction and the influence of these techniques on norm activation and climate action support. Using a nationally representative U.S. sample ( n = 1,004), we observed that neutralization techniques were negatively associated with norm activation and support for climate change policies. Our findings provide evidence of neutralization as a mechanism by which individuals justify climate inaction despite growing concern. These findings have implications for developing climate communications and interventions that may overcome psychological barriers to climate inaction.