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Generations differ in their contribution to climate change and susceptibility to its effects. Contextualizing climate change as an intergenerational issue may therefore alter public engagement. We report a pre-registered, online experiment with a youth sample (N = 500, aged 16–24 years) in Ireland that tested whether highlighting generational differences in descriptions of climate change affects (i) worry about climate change, (ii) perception of others' worry, (iii) belief in collective action and (iv) pro-environmental intentions. We also tested the effect of correcting young people's misperceptions about how concerned older generations (aged 40+) are. The generational narrative amplified self-reported worry about climate change, from 5.42 (SD = 1.45) on a 7-point rating scale in the control group to 5.76 (SD = 1.18) among those who read the generational narrative (d = 0.26). Those who read the generational narrative also believed their close friends (M = 5.14, SD = 1.32) and other peers (M = 5.28, SD = 1.19) were more worried than those who read the control narrative (M = 4.85, SD = 1.48 and M = 5.03, SD = 1.19, respectively; ds = 0.20). There were no significant effects of contextualizing climate change as an intergenerational issue on perceived worry among older people, belief in collective action or pro-environmental intentions. Providing accurate information on older people's worry, however, boosted belief in collective action, particularly for the majority who initially underestimated it (M = 4.22 out of 7, SD = 1.14 vs. M = 4.63, SD = 1.18, d = 0.36). The results have implications for communications with young people about climate change. Correcting underestimations of concern about climate change between socio-demographic subgroups may help to foster engagement. Policy highlights Communications that highlight generational differences in the causes and effects of climate change may be unhelpful; they increase worry among young people without motivating them to act. Most young people underestimate how worried older people are about climate change and this misperception correlates with belief that people are less likely to work together to mitigate climate change. Providing accurate information on how worried older people are boosts belief in collective action, but only among the majority of young people who underestimate it. Communications about climate change likely benefit from avoiding highlighting differences between socio-demographic subgroups and correcting misperceptions where they exist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the morality of an action is affected by thoughts about whether the outcome might have turned outdifferently. We report experimental results that show a moral action effect occurs for judgments about morally good actions.Participants read stories about a morally elevating situation, e.g., an agent is found to be a match as a bone-marrow donor forsomeone else. The agent decided to act or not to act, and the outcome turned out well or it did not turn out well. Participantscreated counterfactual thoughts and they also made judgments about whether the agent should have acted, and whether theagent was morally responsible for the outcome. The results show a moral action effect: participants judged that the actionshould have been taken, and that the agent was morally responsible for the outcome, when the agent acted compared to whenthey did not act, regardless of the outcome.

Replacing car travel with walking and cycling is at the core of the shift to healthier and more sustainable societies. Implementing dedicated infrastructure is a common measure to achieve this aim. But policymakers in multiple countries regularly contend with two obstacles: designing infrastructure that people will make use of and securing public support for implementation. We review and synthesize relevant research from behavioral science that sheds light on how to overcome these two obstacles. Given available literature, we focus on cycling infrastructure. We find that research on moderators of the success of active travel initiatives points to the importance of proximity, connectivity, and safety perceptions, particularly among women, older adults and children. We review empirical findings on which design elements make infrastructure both safe to use and perceived as safe. With respect to public support, we summarize common concerns and review research from behavioral economics and psychology that may help to counter misperceptions of the effects of active travel infrastructure. We also draw on evidence regarding support for climate policy and opinion formation more generally. The paper offers an evidence‐based guide for policymakers to design and implement active travel infrastructure, seen through the lens of behavioral science. It also highlights fruitful avenues for future research. This article is categorized under:Perceptions, Behavior, and Communication of Climate Change > Behavior Change and ResponsesThe Carbon Economy and Climate Mitigation > Policies, Instruments, Lifestyles, BehaviorPolicy and Governance > Governing Climate Change in Communities, Cities, and Regions [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research on prejudice and discrimination towards disabled people (i.e. 'ableism') has conceptualized it as a general attitude, obscuring the role of social context in its manifestation. We aimed to investigate whether and how ableism manifests differently depending on the nature of the disability, the disabled person's gender and the social context of the interaction. A nationally representative sample of 2000 adults read a series of vignettes about issues faced by disabled people (e.g. employment, relationships). Vignettes varied by presence and type of disability and the disabled person's gender. Judgements about how a disabled person was treated showed clear evidence of ableism towards some conditions (e.g. autism) but not others (e.g. a spine disorder). Judgements about the actions of a disabled person were more nuanced. A disability‐gender intersectionality effect was observed for judgements about romantic relationships, with physically disabled women penalized compared to men but no gender difference was observed for intellectual disability. No intersectionality or ableism was observed on a vignette about refusing poorly paid work. We find clear evidence that ableism manifests differently depending on the nature of the individual's disability, their gender and the social context, questioning previous conceptualizations of ableism as a general attitude. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Encouraging consumers to switch to lower-rate mortgages is important both for the individual consumer's finances and for functioning competitive markets, but switching rates are low. Given the complexity of mortgages, one potential regulatory intervention that may increase switching rates is to provide independent advice on how to select good mortgage products and how to navigate the switching process. Working with a government consumer protection agency, we conducted an experiment with mortgage-holders to test whether such advice alters perceptions of switching. The experiment tested how the attributes of the offer, perceptions about the switching process, individual feelings of competence and comprehension of the product affect willingness to switch to better offers, both before and after reading the official advice. The advice made consumers more sensitive to interest rate decreases, especially over longer terms. It also increased consumers' confidence in their ability to select good offers. Overall, the findings imply that advice from policy-makers can change perceptions and increase switching rates. Moreover, the experiment demonstrates how lab studies can contribute to behaviourally informed policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]