Climate change is now ushering in a new era of heightened environmental risks, manifested in more frequent and intense extreme events such as wildfires, droughts, floods and hurricanes. Despite the escalating risks that threaten communities around the world, world, motivating individuals to take protective measures remains an ongoing challenge.

One of the main reasons why people do not take action is the phenomenon psychological distance. Climate issues are often perceived as abstract, uncertain, and distant, while the costs associated with preventive behaviors (e.g., cleaning gutters or maintaining lawns to protect against fires) are immediate and concrete. This psychological distance hinders action. It can manifest as spatial psychological distance, where individuals question whether the consequences of climate change will be felt in their immediate surroundings.

Behavioral scientists have suggested that the solution is to make abstract climate risks tangible and personally relevant, thereby reducing psychological distance. This can be achieved by incorporating so-called. proximal stimuli into risk communication.

Proximal stimulus experiment

To test the effectiveness of localized messaging, a large-scale field experiment was conducted with 12,985 Australian homeowners whose properties were located in fire-prone areas. The experiment, conducted in partnership with a major Australian bank, compared generic communications with messages that were tailored to the participant’s specific location, such as their suburb. These localized messages were intended to create a sense of place and increase the tangibility of the risk.

Results experiment clearly demonstrated that integration of proximal stimuli significantly increased engagement. Participants who received localized messages were approximately twice as susceptible to click on the link and search for more information about wildfire preparedness, compared to those who received general communication (odds ratio was 2.03). The effect was even more pronounced for visits to the landing page, where participants in the proximal cue group were almost 4.8 times more likely.

Practical value and scalability

These findings suggest a scalable and low-cost approach that can significantly improve disaster preparedness. Although the absolute change in behavior was modest, on a mass scale, even small behavioral changes can have significant practical significance. Adding a local detail, such as the name of a suburb, serves as an effective behavioral intervention that addresses barriers to climate change adaptation by making it personally relevant.

For institutions such as banks, insurance companies and local governments, this approach offers practical guidance on how to design effective communication strategies. Incorporating proximal cues into information campaigns ensures that messages resonate with individuals and inspire them to take specific protective measures. By leveraging context and personalization, institutions can encourage climate-resilient behaviors among individuals who might otherwise not act due to the abstract nature of the threat. This approach is particularly important as homeowners increasingly face rising insurance premiums or even denial of insurance, with property protection measures being their most effective risk mitigation strategy. JRi