Climate change belief systems across political groups in the United States

The significant and multi-faceted roles of worry, as identified in this study, could aid cli- mate change communicators in devising more precise communication strategies. As worry serves as a critical psychological bridge, it can facilitate shifts in beliefs and attitudes from one element to others within the system. This finding aligns with prior research indicating that worry might be a pivotal mediator, potentially forging links between beliefs and their conse- quent outcomes [3, 24]. Given its proximal position and potent ties with other elements, acti- vating worry should trigger a cascade of changes in other psychological components. Worry is not only positively associated with support for taking action [3], but can also encourage people to engage with the issue on a personal level [25]. This underscores that worry is a vital psycho- logical construct that merits emphasis in climate change communication, a conclusion sup- ported by both psychological evidence and our own observations from a structural perspective. Despite the central role of worry, this research does not imply that worry is a universal fac- tor that every message should focus on. Addressing worry might be effective when the inten- tion of communication is to achieve a broad impact on the entire belief system. However, when the aim is more specific, focusing directly on other psychological or behavioral elements may be more effective. For example, influencing consumer activism may offer a more direct path to influencing political actions, given the tight link between these elements in the climate

change belief system. Moreover, it is worth noting that it may be more challenging to influence worry than other peripheral elements because central elements are more tightly interwoven with other beliefs and attitudes, making them harder to change [12]. Researchers should also exercise caution when determining the appropriate level of worry to induce. Excessive worry can lead individuals to engage in maladaptive behaviors such as avoidance, rather than problem-solving, particularly when efficacy to respond to the issue is low [26]. A pertinent example of this is the rising phenomenon of “eco-anxiety,” or potentially debilitating chronic worry about the environmental crisis. For some, the overwhelming scale of climate change can elicit extreme worry, which, instead of prompting constructive action, leads to feelings of despair. Therefore, it is also important to provide efficacy messages, which Fig 5. Inter-group comparison of belief systems between political groups. Note. Each dot represents the graph diffusion distance (GDD) score of two belief systems. More specifically, each dot represents a comparison between different or same waves of data collected at different or same time points, between two political groups. GDD scores are normalized to fall within 0 to 1. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300048.g005 PLOS ONE Climate change belief system PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0300048 March 20, 2024 12 / 16