Problem-oriented or solution-oriented? The effects of climate narratives on pro-environmental behavioral intention
Yuqiang Zhang, Lin Dong · 2026
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Description
Climate stories that stress problems may paralyze readers, while stories that stress solutions may move them to act, and two experiments tested that contrast. Yuqiang Zhang and Lin Dong ran those experiments in this 2026 study. More than five hundred people took part in the first and over eleven hundred in the second, all online.
Solution-focused stories raised green behavior intentions more than problem-focused ones. A sense of personal capability carried part of that effect: solution stories made people feel more able to act. The narrator type was also varied to test who should tell the story. For campaigners and teachers, the message is concrete: lead with workable fixes and build confidence, rather than piling on alarming facts alone.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Yuqiang Zhang, Lin Dong |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 51 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |