Effect of outdoor temperature, heat primes and anchoring on belief in global warming

It is generally acknowledged that global warming is occurring yet estimates of future climate change vary widely Given this uncertainty when asked about climate change it is likely that people s judgments may be affected by heuristics and accessible schemas Three studies evaluated this proposition Study 1 revealed a significant positive correlation between the outdoor temperature and beliefs in global warming Study 2 showed that people were more likely to believe in global warming when they had first been primed with heat-related cognitions Study 3 demonstrated that people were more likely to believe in global warming and more willing to pay to reduce global warming when they had first been exposed to a high vs a low anchor for future increases in temperature Together results reveal that beliefs about global warming (and willingness to take actions to reduce global warming) are influenced by heuristics and accessible schemas Several practical implications are discussed (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved