Social and psychological factors shaping public views of unconventional climate advocates

Climate communication faces a messenger challenge: while the urgency of climate crisis demands broad-based public engagement, conventional advocates who are left-leaning environmentalists often struggle to reach diverse audiences due to identity-based barriers and negative stereotypes. This study examines “unconventional advocates”: individuals or groups who advocate for climate action from within social identities not typically associated with environmentalism. Through public intercept interviews with 90 Australians across urban and regional areas, we identified five interrelated social and psychological factors shaping public evaluations of these atypical climate messengers: identification, surprise, group importance, trustworthiness, and legitimacy. Our findings reveal that public views of unconventional advocates are shaped not only by identity alignment, but also by broader stereotype-based expectations, perceived credibility and legitimacy, and the wider socio-political meanings attached to different groups. These findings advance theoretical understandings of social identity, impression formation, and climate communication, while informing practical strategies in climate advocacy to broaden the social base of support for climate action.