The Complex Relationship Between Households’ Climate Change Concerns and Their Water and Energy Mitigation Behaviour

This study analyses household survey data on water and energy climate change mitigation behaviour from eleven OECD countries, and provides new evidence of a complex relationship between climate change concerns and mitigation behaviour. Results confirm other studies that climate change concerns positively influence specific mitigation actions. However we also find evidence that this relationship may be more complex in the sense that adoption of mitigation behaviour may negatively feedback on households’ climate change concerns. This effect more likely occurs in ‘environmentally-motivated’ households. Conversely, economic incentives in driving energy and water mitigation work better in non-environmentally-motivated households. This highlights that a portfolio of policies is needed to drive mitigation behaviour.