Changing people’s attitude and behaviour around climate change and other environmental issues can be difficult because they find the information overly complex or do not perceive the impact as relevant to them. Presenting visuals, like photographs, is a commonly used communication strategy because they attract attention, evoke emotional responses, and convey complicated information in a more accessible manner. Visuals also support the development of mental imagery which helps shift attitudes and motivates intentions and behaviour. However, research on how environmental visuals are used in media suggests that they are too abstract or lack sufficient context to present climate change as a personally relevant issue. As a result, people do not internalize the visuals into their mental imagery or engage in pro-environmental behaviour.
Boomsma and colleagues conducted three studies to evaluate how different environmental issues are internalized and contribute to pro-environmental attitudes and behavioural intentions. In each study, participants saw a piece of environmental communication with visuals about marine plastic pollution, energy conservation in the home, or future outcomes of climate change. The results showed that pro-environmental thoughts and goals correlated with how easily participants were able to form mental images about the environment and how vivid those images were. Comparing emotionally negative and positive images, the presentation of either led to equally vivid mental imagery. When recalling information from the presentations, participants also recalled details from the visual components more often than text. To view the full article visit the Institute for Public Relations.