Friday 21st March 2014
This talk discusses research on mobilising change with and against the tide of public opinion – that is, when there is a perception of consensus and rapid change, versus when there is a perception of public inertia. What are the key triggers of environmental action in the face of real or perceived public indifference to sustainability? And what are the key steps to take to initiate and prepare for the next swing of the pendulum? This talk will summarise a programme of research in social psychology which considers environmental behaviour as a property of groups as well as individuals. Our analysis focuses on decisions made by individuals (e.g., individual energy or water conservation, or voting for green parties versus conservatives) nested within groups (e.g., occupation, neighbourhoods, states, nations, or households). Our proposal is that these groups provide barriers and opportunities for changing individuals’ behaviour. In particular, group-level approaches provide bases from which to generate radical change in the face of widespread indifference to sustainability.
Winnifred Louis is A/Professor in the School of Psychology at The University of Queensland. Her research interests focus on the influence of identity and norms on social decision-making. She has studied this broad topic in contexts from political activism to peace psychology to health and the environment.
