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Why People Won't Act

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Most people think climate change will primarily affect other people, a new analysis of previously published research reveals.

The findings illustrate a well-known cognitive bias known as “overoptimism,” specifically a variety called “overplacement,” which describes how people tend to rate their own risks as less likely and less severe than those of others.

This tendency can make people less likely to take action to reduce their own risks by, say, quitting smoking or getting vaccinated. Overly optimistic risk perceptions could also make people less likely to support climate action, the researchers say.

“Many people may ask themselves: how likely is it that I will suffer the consequences of extreme weather events compared to others?” says study team member Magnus Bergquist, a psychologist at Gothenburg University in Sweden. “What we found was that the vast majority of people, worldwide, expect that others are more likely to suffer from such consequences than themselves.”

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