Audience segmentation for biodiversity conservation: Role of psychological distance and level of abstraction

Effective communication strategies are required to increase public engagement in biodiversity conservation by addressing people's barriers to action. A promising approach in this regard is audience segmentation. Although previous studies have utilized diverse criteria, research applying segmentation based on psychological barriers to behavioral change remains scarce. This study developed an audience segmentation approach based on two psychological barriers: psychological distance and level of abstraction concerning biodiversity loss. Data from 707 Japanese adults were collected through a survey that included an open-ended writing task about biodiversity loss and a self-report questionnaire. Level of abstraction in participants' perceptions was quantified through natural language processing of the open-ended responses. The k-means clustering using psychological distance and level of abstraction as features identified six distinct segments. Notably, level of abstraction provided critical differentiation between segments that appeared similar in psychological distance. Results of topic analysis for open-ended responses suggested that different segments face different obstacles to engagement in conservation efforts. Additionally, each segment varied significantly in the interest in biodiversity-related topics and pro-conservation behavioral intentions, allowing for the identification of segments that should be prioritized. The results underscore the necessity to move from “one-size-fits-all” communication to more targeted communications that address segment-specific obstacles in perceptions of biodiversity loss.