WAKE-UP CALL
Welcome to the April 2010 Wake-Up Call, Awake’s monthly
newsletter for research and news about behaviour change for sustainability.
To view this newsletter as a webpage, click here
In this edition of Wake-up Call…
·
Feature Article – A Matter Of Trust
·
Future Workshops – Cultivating Sustainability in
Australia and New Zealand
·
60 seconds with… Jill, Wildlife Victoria Volunteer
·
Interesting Article of the Month – Belief In Climate Change Hinges On
Worldview
·
Exercise of the Month – Who Do You Trust?
Feature
Article – A
Matter Of Trust
From the politician promising to act on
climate change, through to the door-knocker trying to convince us to sign up to
green energy, a certain level of trust needs to be present in order for people to
take action on sustainability issues. The very nature of the environmental
problems we face means that we are forced to put our faith in the judgment of
others in order to see a way forward. By and large, we can’t actually see the
CO2 increasing or the Arctic ice shrinking. We have to believe what we are
told.
Trust can be defined as the “willingness
to be vulnerable” when the trustor is dependent on the trustee for some
resources or actions. A quick look at
the various situations encountered in the area of environmental sustainability
shows us that, under this definition, trust is relevant. At a national level,
are we prepared to commit to measures to curb carbon emissions, placing our
trust in other countries to do the same? At a local level, are we prepared to
pay extra for that cleaning product which says it is kind to the earth?
Lack of trust has indeed been found to be
a significant barrier to people acting on climate change and other
environmental issues. A 2009 paper by
the American
Psychological Association found that “ample evidence suggests that many
people distrust risk messages that come from scientists or government
officials”.
It is clear that efforts to communicate
environmental issues, and more importantly to engage people in action, will be
more successful if we establish trust. So what are the key elements of
trust? A review of the topic by Mayer
concludes that 3 elements need to be in place in order for trust to be
established
·
Ability – a belief that the person in
question can deliver on expectations
·
Benevolence – a belief that they have our
best interests at heart
·
Integrity – a belief that they adhere to
a set of principles which we find acceptable
It is easy to see how trust can be both
won and lost. For instance, if somebody
trying to convince us to adopt green behaviours is not walking the talk
themselves, then we are likely to question their integrity – leading to a
reduction in trust. The outcry over the energy use of Al Gore’s private
residence was a good example of this. Likewise, the recent questions raised
over the integrity of some of the climate change data produced by East Anglia
University has led to a reduction in trust in the scientific community. Most of
those who have experienced this reduction in trust would not have any knowledge
of the specifics of the research in question, but the perceived violation of scientific
integrity is, in itself, enough to undermine trust.
This analysis of trust raises an
interesting question about the persistence of skepticism about climate change.
It is well documented that over 90% of the worlds climate scientists believe
strongly in man-made climate change, however much distrust still exists within
the general community. Usually, scientists are seen as a trustworthy
profession. Many psychology experiments have shown that donning a white lab
coat does wonders for establishing trust and credibility.
The answer may lie in another element of
trust – perceived risk. Part of trusting
involves making ourselves vulnerable. Mayer proposes that only when our level
of trust surpasses our level of perceived risk will we engage in a trusting behaviour.
If we are to give ourselves over completely to the most dire predictions of
climate scientists, nothing short of a radical transformation of our lifestyle
is required. For many, this is the ultimate risk, and therefore the threshold
for trust is set extremely high. Any whiff of a chink in the armour of those we
are being asked to trust is likely to be seized upon as a reason not to take
risk of changing our way of life.
As sustainability promoters, there are
steps we can take to ensure that we are seen as credible and trustworthy. Here
are some tips for establishing trust:
·
Be credible – have facts, evidence and
solid arguments prepared. People trust expertise. While passion and idealism
are important too, they are not enough on their own.
·
Show you care – meeting people at their
level and working with them, rather than telling them what to do and being
condescending, will help to establish a relationship and show them that you
have their interests in mind.
·
Walk the talk – people need to see that
you are putting your words into action, and are being transparent. Nothing
undermines trust like hypocrisy.
WANT TO USE THIS
ARTICLE IN YOUR E-ZINE OR WEB SITE?
You can, as long as you include this complete blurb with
it:
Awake provides psychology-based services
to support the development of sustainable behaviour in individuals, groups and
organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au
for more info
Future
Workshops – Cultivating Sustainability in Australia and New Zealand
Dates for Australian workshops over the next few months
are now confirmed, as follows.
Denmark, WA, May 31
Perth, June 2
Sydney, June 29
Melbourne, July 6
Hobart, July 13
Brisbane, August
24
The planned visit
to New Zealand has been shifted from May to the first 2 weeks of August. Thanks to those who have registered interest
so far. Dates for the NZ workshops are
as follows
Christchurch,
August 2
Nelson,
August 3
Wellington,
August 5
Auckland,
August 11
Note: Some space has been left in the NZ schedule for groups
requesting an in-house workshop, in or near any of the locations above,
which is a great option if you have a number of people wishing to attend. This
can take the form of a full-day Cultivating Sustainability workshop, or a
workshop customised to meet the needs of your group.
If
you are part of an organisation, green team, or community network that would
benefit from an in-house workshop, contact timc@awake.com.au
to discuss.
More information, including online registration details,
is available at www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
About the Workshop
Cultivating Sustainability is a 1-day workshop which provides
sustainability advocates with insights, models and practical tools to support
their behaviour change efforts. Anybody
who has taken on the challenge of influencing others to live and work more
sustainably will find this workshop a valuable addition to their skills.
Cost: For-profits $250pp
Not-for-profit/Government
$200pp
Individuals/Community
Groups $120pp
Feedback from attendees of the most recent
Cultivating Sustainability workshops included…
“Great framework for encouraging behavioural change within
organisations”
“Provided me with tools and insights to challenge me to review
how I am approaching my sustainability project”
”This workshop has given me good insight into the motivating
factors in people’s behaviour and ways to get lasting change”
“I found the workshop useful to help me learn practical and
positive/inspirational ways to change peoples attitudes and behaviours towards
sustainability”
For more
information about the Cultivating Sustainability workshop, see www.awake.com.au/cultivating.html
60 Seconds with….. Jill, Wildlife Victoria Volunteer
What first got
you focused on sustainability?
Watching An Inconvenient Truth. Seeing the facts and figures presented
so clearly had a big impact. Also,
seeing the effect of climate change on our own farm, which has required us to
change our farming practices.
What is the
sustainable choice you have recently made of which you are most proud?
Putting solar panels in at home.
What is a less
sustainable choice that you are not so proud of?
Too much packaged stuff – it’s
hard to buy recyclable products all the time.
Interesting Article of the Month – Belief In Climate Change Hinges On Worldview
Where?
Belief In Climate
Change Hinges On Worldview
By Christopher
Joyce
What is it about?
This article
reports on studies into the way in which we interpret information, particularly
related to climate change.
What did they
find?
Several studies
reported in the article show that we often interpret information according to
our culture values and worldview. Two people can view the same information and
come away with very different conclusions, depending on the extent to which the
information supports or challenges our values. In one experiment, people with
individualistic values who supported free enterprise were shown information
about global warming. Although initially
reluctant to rate the danger of global warming as high, their rating of the
danger went up when it was suggested that nuclear power was a solution. The
same experiment conducted with more community-oriented people found that their
rating of the danger of global warming went down when nuclear energy was
mentioned.
What can we take
from this?
This research is
yet another example of the importance of recognising peoples values and beliefs
when communicating about sustainability issues. We need to be mindful that
people don’t always analyse facts objectively, and will filter information according
to their pre-existing beliefs. If people carry a suspicion about greenies, then
this suspicion will cloud the message portrayed by greenies, no matter how
solid the facts. As the authors say “In
relation to the climate change debate, this suggests that some people may not
listen to those whom they view as hard-core environmentalists.” Instead,
communicating through a trusted medium is more likely to get the message
through.
Exercise of the Month –
Who Do You Trust?
Following on from
the feature article above, this
months exercise looks at how we came to have trust in some of the green
activities we have undertaken.
1. Think
of a green behaviour you have undertaken, or a green product or service you
have chosen.
2. To
what extent did the following key elements of trust exist in the
provider/promoter?
a. Ability/Expertise
(they were credible)
b. Benevolence
(they had your interests at heart)
c. Integrity
(they adhered to a set of principles you believe in)
3. What
did you risk to take on that behaviour/product/service?
4. Did
the trust you had in the provider/promoter outweigh your perceived risk?
By becoming aware
of the elements of trust, not only can we become more discerning consumers, but
we can also improve our own ability to establish trust with others.
The exercise of the month provides
a tool to help you get engaged, inspired, aware and in action around
sustainability. Feel free to use it on your own, with a friend, or in
your work. If you do use it with others, please tell them where you got
it!
About Awake
Awake provides
psychology-based services to support the development of sustainable behaviour
in individuals, groups and organisations. Visit www.awake.com.au
for more info
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© Awake 2010