When Experts Speak Too Often: How Frequent Authority Appeals Shape Public Climate Action Intentions

Effective climate change communication requires persuasion strategies that align with the public’s cognitive modes of thinking, and authority appeal has shown promise. However, the impact of frequent authority appeals on communication effectiveness remains unclear. Two experimental studies were conducted to investigate the effect of frequent (vs. non-frequent) authority appeals on public climate action intentions. Study 1 revealed that frequent authority appeals diminished climate action intentions, including both climate-friendly behavior and support for mitigation policies, with psychological reactance as a mediator. It further found that this effect was moderated by political ideology: frequent authority appeals did not trigger significant reactance among conservatives. This neutralized the negative impact and even resulted in a significant positive effect on climate-friendly behavior. Study 2 replicated the negative effect of frequent authority appeals on climate action intentions and the mediating role of psychological reactance, and additionally found that rationale provision accompanying frequent authority appeals neutralized psychological reactance and turned the effect of frequent authority appeals on climate action intentions positive. Recommendations are provided for improving strategies to enhance public climate action intentions.