Investment in Whiteness and Climate Change Skepticism

Abstract

Research often explores the motivated roots of climate change skepticism: that people express climate change (CC) skepticism in service of predetermined conclusions. Research also indicates that White Americans are less environmentally engaged and more likely than other racial groups to express CC skepticism. In two studies, I tested hypothesized links between (investment in) white American racial identity, CC skepticism, and policy support. In Study 1, Whites expressed greater CC skepticism than Hispanic/Latinx participants. Ethnicity moderated the relationship between ingroup affect and CC skepticism, such that CC skepticism was positively related to ingroup affect among White but not Hispanic/Latinx participants. In Study 2, White participants who were exposed to an identity threat manipulation expressed stronger relationships between ingroup affect and CC skepticism and conservative policy support relative to a low threat condition. Group status anxiety mediated the relationship between ingroup affect and climate change skepticism among White participants in both studies. Results suggest implications of investment in whiteness for CC skepticism and locate investment in whiteness as a potential barrier to addressing climate change.