{"id":9141,"date":"2021-03-29T10:29:03","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T09:29:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/?p=9141"},"modified":"2021-03-29T10:29:12","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T09:29:12","slug":"seeing-people-in-the-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/seeing-people-in-the-data\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeing people in the data"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Dr Laura Fogg-Rogers<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re living through a Climate and Ecological Emergency and we urgently need to reduce carbon emissions. And yet society seems frozen into inaction. Could a new modelling and communication approach help to gather momentum?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The ClairCity<\/a> project was led by UWE Bristol and brought together the Air Quality Monitoring Resource Centre<\/a> and the Science Communication Unit<\/a>. The project reached over 818,000 citizens through innovative public engagement methods<\/a> including an online game, extensive workshops and surveys, and schools activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a journal paper<\/a> recently released, the research team detailed their innovative method to bring these results together, through citizen-centred source apportionment. Traditional methods for monitoring air pollution and carbon emissions look at what<\/em> is creating the emissions (vehicles, heating etc), and where<\/em> the emissions end up (pollution hot spots).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Focus on Who and Why<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This new approach focusses on who<\/em> is burning fossil fuels and why<\/em> they are doing so. This means we can understand the human dimension of emissions to improve policymaking, accounting for demographics (gender or age groups), socio-economic factors (income\/car ownership) and motives for specific behaviours (e.g., commuting to work, leisure, shopping, etc.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The modelling produced some surprises when applied to traffic in Bristol \u2013 as leisure travel accounted for the most km travelled, and therefore the most emissions per year.  Local councils usually focus on school traffic or commuting, but this provides a new way to approach emissions reduction. Policymakers plan to look at ways to reduce car use for leisure travel, for instance locating leisure venues near to public transport or cycling paths, or even considering plans for 15 minute cities, where any necessary city amenities are within a 15 minute walk from homes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 1. <\/strong>(a<\/strong>) This infographic presents the relative contribution of each motive to total kilometres travelled by car in Bristol in 2015. It was designed to highlight recognisable social practices and activities.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Figure 1. <\/strong>(b) This social card links to the data and was designed to resonate with activities that people do every day that contribute to carbon emissions and air pollution.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For science communicators, there is also much to think through as well. The modelling showed that emissions are not evenly produced; certain types of people produce more emissions than others, and some feel the effects of pollution more than others. For instance, men travel by car more than women, and people who earn over \u00a350,000 per year tend to own more cars, and therefore drive far more often.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Figure 2. <\/strong>Infographic (<\/em>top<\/strong>) and social card (<\/em>bottom<\/strong>) showing differences in air pollution produced through men\u2019s and women\u2019s different travel habits.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Perceptions of \u2018sensible\u2019 climate action vary between groups<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

We therefore need a far more nuanced approach to communicating about climate action. Climate Outreach<\/a> have done some excellent work on this topic, with their work on seven segments of British society and their attitudes to climate action. Science communicators need to focus on the segments polluting the most, and tailor communications showing the benefits of each relevant action they can take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The UWE team\u2019s new journal paper take this further using social psychology theories, explaining how the social contexts of the groups to which we belong influence what we perceive to be \u2018normal\u2019 in society. This means that cultural realities can change between social groups, cities, regions and countries. This \u2018Overton Window of Political Possibility\u2019 can shift over time so that an idea moves from unthinkable to radical, to acceptable, to sensible, to popular and finally into policy. For example, a climate change policy which is considered quite sensible in one city, such as an extensive network of segregated bike lanes allowing for cars to be curtailed in the city centre (Amsterdam in the Netherlands), may be considered to be quite radical in another city (such as Bristol, U.K.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Science communications needs to focus on group lived experience of this \u2018normality\u2019, in order to understand more about why our day-to-day behaviours happen, and how we can change if we see others doing the same. Politicians will generally only pursue policies that are widely accepted throughout society as legitimate policy options, or otherwise, they may risk losing popular support and become unelectable. In order to introduce new policies, we therefore need to show how an idea can be communicated so that it resonates with what is deemed \u2018acceptable\u2019 or \u2018sensible\u2019 to the majority of citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People like me create emissions, and people like me can take action<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The UWE team showed how social cognitive theory can be used to help improve individual and collective self-efficacy for climate action. Using an example of more women cycling to activities, we need to focus on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Vicarious experiences<\/strong> (i.e., comparisons of capability to others, modelling and observing)\u2014a woman deciding whether to cycle will be influenced by whether other women cycle; if this is considered a \u2019normal\u2019 thing for women to do, then other women will likely join in.<\/li>
  2. Mastery or performance accomplishments<\/strong> (i.e., experiences of relevant success)\u2014a beginner female cyclist will be more likely to continue cycling if they have a positive experience cycling on main roads; they will then have a memory to recall about their ability to cycle alongside cars.<\/li>
  3. Verbal persuasions<\/strong> (positive feedback from peers and supervisors, coaching)\u2014to continue cycling, the female cyclist would need to receive direct positive feedback on this activity.<\/li>
  4. Emotional arousal – <\/strong>both vicarious (indirect) and mastery (direct) experiences can influence our emotional states. To improve self-efficacy for an activity, we need to experience positive emotional responses. Therefore, the woman would need to feel that she is capable and confident at cycling and that other people approve or admire her behaviour.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    So climate action needs positive (and relevant) role models, alongside positive press or communications (in relevant media) in order to help change our behaviours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    The ClairCity project showed how new thinking about the role of people in relation to air pollution and carbon emissions can widen options for action, leading to more acceptable and effective policies. Climate communications should draw on social learning in order to tailor communication efforts towards relevant groups. Ultimately, we need to become more aware that \u2019people like me\u2019 create emissions and, equally, \u2018people like me\u2019 can take action to reduce emissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n\n\n\n

    Fogg-Rogers, L.; Hayes, E.; Vanherle, K.; P\u00e1pics, P.I..; Chatterton, T.; Barnes, J.; Slingerland, S.; Boushel, C.; Laggan, S.; Longhurst, J.. Applying Social Learning to Climate Communications\u2014Visualising \u2018People Like Me\u2019 in Air Pollution and Climate Change Data. Sustainability <\/em>2021<\/strong>, 13<\/em>(6) 3406 doi.org\/10.3390\/su13063406<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    By Dr Laura Fogg-Rogers We\u2019re living through a Climate and Ecological Emergency and we urgently need to reduce carbon emissions. And yet society seems frozen into inaction. Could a new modelling and communication approach help to gather momentum? The ClairCity project was led by UWE Bristol and brought together the Air Quality Monitoring Resource Centre … Continue reading “Seeing people in the data”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,9,10,15,16,3,4],"tags":[668,671,53,669,567,666,670,667,110,159,266],"class_list":["post-9141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education-outreach","category-faculty-of-environment-and-technology","category-health-wellbeing","category-publications","category-research-projects","category-science-communication","category-science-communication-unit","tag-air-quality-monitoring-resource-centre","tag-carbon-emissions","tag-claircity","tag-climate-action","tag-climate-change","tag-climate-emergency","tag-climate-outreach","tag-ecological-emergency","tag-laura-fogg-rogers","tag-social-cognitive-theory","tag-sophie-laggan"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9141"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9153,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9141\/revisions\/9153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/725"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.uwe.ac.uk\/science-communication\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}