Inspiring climate change engagement: a case for stories

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the use of stories as a means of increasing climate change engagement, and what role place attachment plays in this aspect. Three groups are compared: one group that read a narrative set in the Global North, one group that read a narrative set in the Global South, and a control group that read a factual overview. Through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, the level of engagement of the participants (with special attention to engagement barriers) and the effects of the narratives were established. The findings are complex and surprising: the Global South narrative seems overall more effective than the Global North narrative. The stories had a positive effect on engagement to some degree; however, they did not succeed in breaching all of the engagement barriers the participants experienced. Place attachment appears to play a role, with a global sense of place being a positive factor in climate change engagement.