Assessing the effects of information about global population growth on risk perceptions and support for mitigation and prevention strategies

Abstract

The human population is forecast to increase by 3-4 billion people during this century and many scientists have expressed concerns that this could increase the likelihood of certain adverse events (e.g., climate change, resource shortages). Recent research shows that these concerns are mirrored in public risk perceptions and that these perceptions correlate with a willingness to adopt mitigation behaviors (e.g., reduce resource consumption) and preventative actions (e.g., support actions to limit growth). However, little research has assessed the factors that influence risk perceptions of global population growth (GPG). To contribute to this important goal, this paper presents three studies that examined how risk perceptions of GPG might be influenced by textual-visual representations (like those in media and internet articles) of the potential effects of GPG. Study 1 found that a textual-narrative which highlighted the potential negative (cf. positive) consequences of GPG led to higher perceived risk and greater willingness to adopt mitigation behaviors, but not to support preventative actions. Notably, the influence of the narratives on perceived risk was largely moderated by the participant’s prior knowledge and perceptions of GPG. Contrary to expectations, Studies 2 and 3 revealed, respectively, that photographs depicting GPG-related imagery and graphs depicting GPG rates had no significant effect on the perceived risk of GPG or the willingness to embrace mitigation or preventative actions. However, Study 3 found that individuals with higher ‘graph literacy’ perceived GPG as a higher risk and were more willing to adopt mitigation behaviors and support preventative actions.

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ORCID for Ian Dawson: orcid.org/0000-0003-0555-9682

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