Evangelizing the Environment: Decision Process Effects in Political Persuasion

In the fall of 2004, the National Association of Evangelicals produced a statement advocating more resources to combat environmental degradation and promote environmental sustainability. We assess several possible mechanisms for this opinion change using data from a survey experiment. In particular, we test for the effects of group cues, identity, and a new cue—the decision-making process—in which communicating the way a source went about making a decision can affect how other cues are utilized. In contrast to decades of research, we find that a group cue has little effect, while the process cue alters how in- and out-group members think about environmental protection and the players involved in this political drama.