Governmental efficacy is a key psychological pathway to climate action (opens in new tab)

Addressing climate change requires sustained public engagement with mitigation efforts. Across two large quota-matched U.S. samples (Study 1: N = 1197; Study 2: N = 31,324), we identify response efficacy, the belief that actions will produce meaningful outcomes, as a central psychological driver of climate engagement. In Study 1, governmental response efficacy emerged as the strongest predictor of climate-related action across multiple domains, including political participation, public advoca...