Climate change, powerlessness and the commons dilemma: Assessing New Zealanders’ preparedness to act

Mitigating climate change is recognized as an increasingly urgent task that requires understanding a range of different strategies, including voluntary behavior change. Among the psychological barriers to behavior change are perceptions of powerlessness and the commons dilemma. This paper examines the association between these factors in a sample of New Zealand citizens and clarifies their importance in relation to other barriers to action to mitigate climate change, including uncertainty and perceived risk. Stronger perceptions of powerlessness and the commons dilemma were related to lower levels of action to mitigate climate change and lesser importance being placed upon climate change as an influence on individual actions. The perceived risk of climate change and the perception that humans influence climate change were the strongest predictors of mitigation action.

Research highlights
► New Zealanders’ preparedness to take individual mitigation action varies widely.
► Perceptions of powerlessness and the commons dilemma relate to reduced action.
► People are more willing to take action if they know that others are doing so.
► Those who perceive the risks of climate change as high are more likely to act.
► Those perceiving humans as influencing climate change are more likely to act.