Framing responsibility in climate change discourse: Ethnocentric attribution bias, perceived causes, and policy attitudes

Although the public's perception that climate change is caused primarily by humans rather than nature is a key predictor of public engagement with the issue, little research has examined the way in which climate change communication can influence public perception. Drawing on attribution theory, this study found that American participants who were exposed to information about their in-group's excessive energy use were more likely to attribute climate change to uncontrollable (natural) rather than controllable (human) causes than were those who were exposed to information about an out-group's (China) excessive energy use and those in the control group. In addition, this attribution of climate change to nature was negatively associated with climate change concern for climate change and policy support for climate change mitigation. These causal relationships were reflected in the mediation path model. •Perceived in-group’s responsibility for climate change yields attribution to uncontrollable causes.•Emphasis on the energy use of the U.S. decreases Americans' belief in human-made climate change.•Belief in human-made climate change increases policy support for climate change mitigation.•Emphasis on an in-group’s responsibility is not an effective messaging strategy.