Climate Change Consensus Messages Cause Reactance

Several recent studies have debated whether climate change consensus messages cause reactance, although they sometimes employ different procedures and measurement. This study uses procedures and measures from competing studies to allow for a comparison of the respective approaches. We find that climate change consensus messages cause reactance, particularly among Republicans and those who do not believe in anthropogenic climate change. These findings highlight concerns that consensus messaging strategies may be ineffective or backfire among audiences that science communicators are most keen to target.