Despite the scientific consensus concerning the current causes and future effects of anthropogenic global warming, there has been little to no improvement in public opinion, attitudes, or behavior related to its mitigation. This article examines how different information conveyance strategies affect belief in global warming. Three experiments reveal that a fundamental understanding of the underlying mechanism of global warming—the greenhouse gas effect—is integral to belief in the existence of global warming. Specifically, the current research demonstrates that persuasive messaging incorporating an explanation of the mechanism (versus consequences) underlying global warming leads to belief change (study 1); that this effect is moderated by political orientation, such that the effect of mechanism-understanding on global warming belief is greater for conservatives (study 1, 2, and 3); that understanding of the mechanism underlying global warming affects willingness to engage in sustainable activities and buying socially conscious products (study 2); and that the effect persists over time and can influence actual donation behavior (study 3). Social, public policy, and marketing implications for this strategy are discussed.

中文翻译：

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解决全球变暖否认主义

尽管科学界就人为全球变暖的当前原因和未来影响达成了共识，但与缓解相关的公众舆论、态度或行为几乎没有改善。本文研究了不同的信息传递策略如何影响对全球变暖的信念。三项实验表明，对全球变暖的潜在机制——温室气体效应——的基本理解是全球变暖存在的信念不可或缺的一部分。具体而言，目前的研究表明，包含对全球变暖潜在机制（与后果）的解释的有说服力的信息会导致信念改变（研究 1）；这种影响受到政治倾向的缓和，这样对于保守派来说，机制理解对全球变暖信念的影响更大（研究 1、2 和 3）；对全球变暖潜在机制的理解会影响参与可持续活动和购买具有社会意识的产品的意愿（研究 2）；并且这种影响会随着时间的推移持续存在并且会影响实际的捐赠行为（研究 3）。讨论了该战略的社会、公共政策和营销影响。