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Reframing action against climate change as patriotic makes conservatives more likely to participate


"When people feel safe and secure, they become more liberal; when they feel threatened, they become more conservative."

"In an ingenious experiment, the psychologists reframed climate change not as a challenge to government and industry, but as "a threat to the American way of life." After reading a passage that couched environmental action as patriotic, study participants who displayed traits typical of conservatives were much more likely to sign petitions about preventing oil spills and protecting the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge."

Emily Laber-Warren, "Calling a Truce in the Political Wars," Scientific American Mind. Sept.-Oct.2012. 23. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=calling-truce-political...

[verified 4/17/14]

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