Radical Greens? How Environmental Influencers Shape Young Social Media Users’ Perceived Environmental Polarization, Hopelessness, and Collective Action Intentions

• Environmental SMIs increasingly post radical environmental content on social media. • This leads to young social media users’ perception of environmental polarization. • Also, it decreases young users’ collective environmental action intentions. • Hate comments and environmental knowledge increase perceived environmental polarization. • Environmental polarization is positively associated with environmental hopelessness. As climate change progresses, environmental movements become more radical. Environmental social media influencers increasingly support radical environmental measures such as blocking traffic or destroying art on social media. Yet, it is unclear what effects radical environmental influencers on social media have on young adults’ perceptions of environmental polarization within society. Moreover, based on the theory of identity in intractable conflict and the Elaboration Likelihood Model, hate comments against environmental influencers, and young adults’ environmental knowledge might play a role in perceived environmental polarization triggered by radical environmental influencers. Results of a 2×2 experimental study with a quota-based sample of N = 776 young adults in COUNTRY indicated that radical environmental influencers increased perceived environmental polarization and decreased collective environmental action intentions. Independent of radical environmental influencers, hate comments, and environmental knowledge heightened perceptions of environmental polarization, which was associated with feelings of environmental hopelessness. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. A main effect of exposure to hate comments on the perceived environmental polarization. We found no interaction effect between exposure to radical influencer and exposure to hate comments. However, results showed a positive main effect of hate comments against the environmental influencer—independent of the radical profile—on perceived environmental polarization. Environmental knowledge did not affect the perceived environmental polarization. We observed no interaction effect between the exposure to radical influencers and environmental knowledge on the perceived environmental polarization. Our analysis demonstrated that perceived environmental polarization was positively related to environmental hopelessness. Moreover, results suggesting that perceived environmental polarization is negatively related to collective environmental action intentions, was not supported. Nevertheless, results indicated a negative main effect of exposure to the radical environmental influencer on collective environmental action intentions.