The Impact of Government Climate Narrative Plot on Public Pro-Environmental Behavior Intentions: A Survey Experiment

Narratives have emerged as a critical policy tool for nudging public behaviors and intentions, garnering increasing attention from policymakers, scholars, and practitioners. However, minimal research has examined how distinct plots of climate narratives influence pro-environmental behavior intentions (PEBI). This study aims to fill this gap by examining the interplay between emotional framing (positive vs. negative) and temporal framing (occurred vs. not occurred) in government climate narrative plots, as well as their influence on PEBI through risk and benefit perception pathways. Using experimental data from a sample of 638 Chinese citizens, we found that negative framing narratives outperformed positive framing ones in enhancing PEBI by heightening risk perception. However, mediation analysis revealed that the advantage of negatively framed narratives was partially offset by their reduced benefit perception. Moreover, moderated mediation analysis demonstrated that, under an occurred temporal framing, positive framing narratives were more effective than negative framing ones in enhancing benefit perception, thereby promoting PEBI. These findings enrich the theoretical framework of causal pathways linking climate narratives to PEBI, offering robust empirical evidence to guide policymakers in crafting refined climate communication strategies.