How to Write Impactful Stories about Regional Climate Change Adaptation Using Cultural Theory

Abstract

This thesis is an exploratory study that is conducted in collaboration with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute (KNMI). It aims to give insight in the (dis)advantages of using stories to communicate about consequences of regional climate change. Three stories were written that would resonate with three different audiences, their typology based on Cultural Theory (CT). These stories were tested in a survey with 336 participants. I looked at possible differences between the stories and audiences on the variables understanding, risk perception and self-efficacy, and compared them to a control story. The CT stories did not have significant effects on their matching CT audiences. When compared to each other, regardless of CT type, they had different influences on risk perception and self-efficacy. The heuristic of (in)congruence from the Narrative Policy Framework was an important factor in story favorability. Using stories has mostly positive and neutral effects on the KNMI’s credibility. For the KNMI, I recommend using stories with the Hierarchist framing, in combination with logical-scientific information as in the control story.