Research Article
Head in the (Oil) Sand? Climate Change Scepticism in Canada
Gary J. Pickering*
Department of Biological Sciences and Psychology, and Environmental Sustainability Research Centre, Brock University, 500
Glenridge Ave, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada
*Corresponding author: Gary J. Pickering, Professor, Biological Sciences and Psychology, Brock University, 500 Glenridge Ave, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada, Tel: +1 905 688 5550, Fax: 1 905 688 3104; E-mail: gpickering@brocku.ca
Article Information: Submission: 15/08/2015; Accepted: 26/08/2015; Published: 01/09/2015
Copyright: © 2015 Pickering GJ. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Abstract
Determining the extent to which specific psychological barriers limit climate change mitigation behaviour, particularly in individuals from industrialised
nations with poor mitigation performance, is a global concern. This pilot study sought to establish for the first time the extent of climate change scepticism
in a representative sample of Anglophone Canadians and determine how it may vary with knowledge, values and socio-demographic factors. Participants
(n=229) responded to a mail invitation to take part in the online survey. Scepticism and uncertainty toward climate change were assessed using a validated
12-item attitude index that yielded a composite scepticism score. Environmental values were assessed using a modified version of the New Environmental
Paradigm scale (NEP), while political association, education attainment, climate change knowledge, and several demographic variables were determined
using established measures. A full factor multiple regression analysis showed region, NEP score and Conservative Party of Canada association as the
significant predictors of scepticism. When independent factor groupings were modelled separately, values and politics explained 31% of the variation in
scepticism scores, socio-demographic variables 6%, and education and knowledge 3%, highlighting the dominant role of environmental values and political
orientation. These results are discussed in the context of the theory of socially-organised denial of climate change and the information-deficit model of climate
inaction. The findings provide baseline data that will allow changes in climate change scepticism to be tracked over time, and help to inform how public policy
and messaging strategies might be optimized to facilitate climate mitigation behaviour.
