Yale Program on Climate Change Communication

7. Collective Efficacy

7.1. Americans are more confident they can influence what the federal government does about global warming more than they can influence what corporations do.

Perceived collective efficacy regarding global warming – the belief that like-minded citizens can work together to influence what government and business leaders do about global warming – is an important motivator for individuals to take collective action.Bandura, A. (2000). Exercise of human agency through collective efficacy. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 75-78. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8721.00064 About four in ten registered voters (42%) are at least “moderately confident” that people like them, working together, can affect what the federal government does about global warming. Fewer registered voters (35%) are at least “moderately confident” that people like them, working together, can affect what corporations do about global warming.

Liberal Democrats have the highest perceptions of collective efficacy regarding global warming, while conservative Republicans have the lowest perceptions of collective efficacy, although that may in part be because they are less likely to support action on global warming overall.