The impact of place and legacy framing on climate action: A lifespan approach
Open accessAbstract
Despite several decades of research on more effectively communicating climate change to the general public, there is only limited knowledge about how older adults engage with an issue that will shape and define future generations. We focus on two key factors that may motivate younger and older adults to engage in climate change action, legacy concern and place attachment, and assess whether older adults differ in any appreciable way from the general population in this domain. We randomly exposed participants of different ages to either a Legacy, Place, or control writing induction task before they completed various self-report measures. Both induction conditions were associated with significantly greater pro-environmental behavioral intentions and donations for all age groups when compared to the control condition. Legacy motivation and biophilia were used as manipulation checks and found to partially mediate these effects. Findings suggest that legacy and place message framing may be useful in prompting adults of all ages to take action to help combat climate change.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Place-and legacy-based interventions have been explored as effective motivational strategies.
“Place-and legacy-based interventions have also been explored as effective motivational strategies [44,48,50,53,54].”
From Climate Distress: A Review of Current Psychological Research and Practice (2023) · cites this paper as [54]
Wickersham et al.'s study found that place-and legacy-based interventions had a positive influence on the pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours of 1,005 American participants (with 45% identifying as environmentalists).
“Wickersham et al.'s study found these interventions had a positive influence on the pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours of 1,005 American participants (with 45% identifying as environmentalists) [54].”
From Climate Distress: A Review of Current Psychological Research and Practice (2023) · cites this paper as [54]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1173 · Cited by 91,542 · see citing works
Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.51.6.1173 · Cited by 91,532 · see citing works
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Reinman, S. L. (2012) · Reference Reviews · doi:10.1108/09504121211205250 · Cited by 4,484 · see citing works
Ceballos, G., Ehrlich, P. R., & Dirzo, R. (2017) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1704949114 · Cited by 2,663 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Climate change is real [1,2] and accelerating in its pace and impacts [3,4].”
BackgroundThe dragons of inaction: Psychological barriers that limit climate change mitigation and adaptation.
Gifford, R. (2011) · American Psychologist · doi:10.1037/a0023566 · Cited by 2,326 · see citing works
Hauser, D. J., & Schwarz, N. (2016) · Behavior Research Methods · doi:10.3758/s13428-015-0578-z · Cited by 1,739 · see citing works
Devine-Wright, P. (2009) · Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology · doi:10.1002/casp.1004 · Cited by 1,599 · see citing works
(1993) · Cited by 1,573 · see citing works
Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming
Cook, J., Орескес, Н., Doran, P. T., Anderegg, W. R. L., Verheggen, B., Maibach, E. W., Carlton, J. S., Lewandowsky, S., Skuce, A. G., Green, S., et al. (2016) · Environmental Research Letters · doi:10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/048002 · Cited by 1,467 · see citing works
Age differences in future orientation and delay discounting
Steinberg, L., Graham, S., O’Brien, L., Woolard, J., Cauffman, E., & Banich, M. (2009) · Child Development · doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01244.x · Cited by 1,237 · see citing works
Watts, N., Amann, M., Ayeb-Karlsson, S., Belesova, K., Bouley, T., Boykoff, M., Byass, P., Cai, W., Campbell-Lendrum, D., Chambers, J., et al. (2018) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(17)32464-9 · Cited by 1,236 · see citing works
Time counts: Future time perspective, goals, and social relationships.
Lang, F. R., & Carstensen, L. L. (2002) · Psychology and Aging · doi:10.1037/0882-7974.17.1.125 · Cited by 1,228 · see citing works
The relationship between nature connectedness and happiness: a meta-analysis
Capaldi, C. A., Dopko, R. L., & Zelenski, J. M. (2014) · Frontiers in Psychology · doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2014.00976 · Cited by 1,183 · cited 1× · see citing works
“Consistent with previous literature [36], greater biophilia overall correlated with greater chronological age across the sample.”
ResultRole of consciousness and accessibility of death-related thoughts in mortality salience effects.
Greenberg, J., Pyszczynski, T., Solomon, S., Simon, L., & Breus, M. (1994) · Journal of Personality and Social Psychology · doi:10.1037/0022-3514.67.4.627 · Cited by 901 · see citing works
Framing and communicating climate change: The effects of distance and outcome frame manipulations
Spence, A., & Pidgeon, N. (2010) · Global Environmental Change · doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2010.07.002 · Cited by 792 · see citing works
Disaster preparedness and perception of flood risk: A study in an alpine valley in Italy
Miceli, R., Sotgiu, I., & Settanni, M. (2007) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2007.10.006 · Cited by 717 · see citing works
The experienced psychological benefits of place attachment
Scannell, L., & Gifford, R. (2017) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2017.04.001 · Cited by 548 · see citing works
Allen, M. A., Antwi‐Agyei, P., Aragón‐Durand, F., Babiker, M. H., Bertoldi, P., Bind, M., Brown, S. A., Buckeridge, M. S., Camilloni, I. A., Cartwright, A., et al. (2019) · Cited by 521 · see citing works
The Future is Now: Reducing Psychological Distance to Increase Public Engagement with Climate Change
Jones, C., Hine, D. W., & Marks, A. D. G. (2017) · Risk Analysis · doi:10.1111/risa.12601 · Cited by 507 · see citing works
Improving Public Engagement With Climate Change
van der Linden, S., Maibach, E. W., & Leiserowitz, A. (2015) · Perspectives on Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/1745691615598516 · Cited by 487 · see citing works
Attachment to Place and the Representation of the Life Course by the Elderly
Rubinstein, R. I., & Parmelee, P. A. (1992) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-1-4684-8753-4_7 · Cited by 467 · see citing works
Ersner-Hershfield, H., Garton, M., Ballard, K., Samanez-Larkin, G., & Knutson, B. (2009) · Judgment and Decision Making · doi:10.1017/s1930297500003855 · Cited by 410 · see citing works
Devine-Wright, P. (2013) · Global Environmental Change · doi:10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2012.08.003 · Cited by 404 · see citing works
Measuring love and care for nature
Perkins, H. (2010) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2010.05.004 · Cited by 339 · see citing works
Mobility, accessibility and quality of later life
Musselwhite, C., & Haddad, H. (2010) · Quality in Ageing and Older Adults · doi:10.5042/qiaoa.2010.0153 · Cited by 278 · see citing works
The Mature Mind: The Positive Power of the Aging Brain
Cohen, G. D. (2005) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 238 · see citing works
The influence of anticipated pride and guilt on pro-environmental decision making
Schneider, C. R., Zaval, L., Weber, E. U., & Markowitz, E. M. (2017) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0188781 · Cited by 228 · see citing works
Self-citationHow Will I Be Remembered? Conserving the Environment for the Sake of One’s Legacy
Zaval, L., Markowitz, E. M., & Weber, E. U. (2015) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797614561266 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Self-citationGilleard, C. J., Hyde, M., & HIGGS, P. F. D. (2007) · Research on Aging · doi:10.1177/0164027507305730 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Increasing altruistic and cooperative behaviour with simple moral nudges
Capraro, V., Jagfeld, G., Klein, R., Mul, M., & de Pol, I. V. (2019) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-019-48094-4 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Exploring the health and wellbeing benefits of gardening for older adults
Scott, T., Masser, B., & Pachana, N. A. (2014) · Ageing and Society · doi:10.1017/s0144686x14000865 · Cited by 110 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Relationship between Outdoor Activity and Health in Older Adults Using GPS
Kerr, J., Marshall, S. J., Godbole, S. V., Neukam, S., Crist, K., Wasilenko, K., Golshan, S., & Büchner, D. M. (2012) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph9124615 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Ko, S. J., Sadler, M. S., & Galinsky, A. D. (2014) · Psychological Science · doi:10.1177/0956797614553009 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Burholt, V. (2006) · Environment and Planning A Economy and Space · doi:10.1068/a3767 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Mostafa, M. M. (2015) · Social Indicators Research · doi:10.1007/s11205-015-1079-2 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Groulx, M. W., Lewis, J., Lemieux, C. J., & Dawson, J. (2014) · Landscape and Urban Planning · doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.09.002 · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Deller, J., Liedtke, P. M., & Maxin, L. (2008) · The Geneva Papers on Risk and Insurance Issues and Practice · doi:10.1057/gpp.2008.44 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
Zaval, L. (2016) · Nature Climate Change · doi:10.1038/nclimate3164 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citationGreening Gray: Climate Action for an Aging World
Smyer, M. A. (2016) · Public Policy & Aging Report · doi:10.1093/ppar/prw028 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Self-citationDraining the swamp while making America great again: senior dissonance in the age of Trump
Hudson, R. B. (2018) · Journal of Aging & Social Policy · doi:10.1080/08959420.2018.1462676 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [11]Milfont TL, Sibley CG. Exploring the concept of environmental generativity. Int J Hisp Psychol [Internet]. 2011 [cited 2019 Jun 2]; 4(1): 21– 30. Available from: https://search.proquest.com/openview/384fd868d08c1a72835b873bb8bc2590/1?pq-origsite=gscholar&cbl=2034866
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Addressing climate change with behavioral science: A global intervention tournament in 63 countries
Vlasceanu, M., Doell, K. C., Bak-Coleman, J. B., Todorova, B., Berkebile-Weinberg, M., Grayson, S., Patel, Y. H., Goldwert, D., Pei, Y., Chakroff, A., et al. (2024) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.adj5778 · Cited by 270 · see citing works
The differential impact of climate interventions along the political divide in 60 countries
Berkebile-Weinberg, M., Goldwert, D., Doell, K. C., Bavel, J. J. V., & Vlasceanu, M. (2024) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-024-48112-8 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Climate change and healthy ageing: An assessment of the impact of climate hazards on older people
Prina, M., Khan, N., Akhter Khan, S., Caicedo, J. C., Peycheva, A., Seo, V., Xue, S., & Sadana, R. (2024) · Journal of Global Health · doi:10.7189/jogh.14.04101 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Maibach, E. W., Uppalapati, S. S., Orr, M., & Thaker, J. J. (2022) · Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences · doi:10.1146/annurev-earth-031621-114417 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Responsibility towards future generations is a strong predictor of proenvironmental engagement
Syropoulos, S., & Markowitz, E. M. (2023) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102218 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
A scoping review of the green parenthood effect on environmental and climate engagement
Shrum, T. R., Platt, N. S., Markowitz, E., & Syropoulos, S. (2023) · WIREs Climate Change · doi:10.1002/wcc.818 · Cited by 51 · see citing works
Addressing Climate Change with Behavioral Science: A Global Intervention Tournament in 63 CountriesPreprint
Vlasceanu, M., Doell, K. C., Bak-Coleman, J. B., & Bavel, J. J. V. (2023) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/cr5at · Cited by 48 · see citing works
Climate Distress: A Review of Current Psychological Research and Practice
Koder, J., Dunk, J., & Rhodes, P. (2023) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su15108115 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Behavioral interventions motivate action to address climate change
Sinclair, A. H., Cosme, D., Lydic, K. O., Reinero, D. A., Tartak, J. C., MANN, M. E., & Falk, E. B. (2025) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2426768122 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Syropoulos, S., Markowitz, E. M., Demarest, B., & Shrum, T. (2023) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102074 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Climate Change Policies and Older Adults: An Analysis of States’ Climate Adaptation Plans
Carlson, B., Kohon, J. N., Carder, P., Himes, D., Toda, E., & Tanaka, K. (2023) · The Gerontologist · doi:10.1093/geront/gnad077 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Syropoulos, S., & Markowitz, E. M. (2023) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102006 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Syropoulos, S., Law, K. F., Kraft‐Todd, G., Mah, A. Y. J., Markowitz, E. M., & Young, L. (2024) · British Journal of Social Psychology · doi:10.1111/bjso.12775 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Law, K. F., Colaizzi, G. A., & Syropoulos, S. (2024) · Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.cobeha.2024.101467 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Law, K. F., Syropoulos, S., & Young, L. (2023) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su152416732 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Said, N., & Wölfl, V. (2025) · Environment and Behavior · doi:10.1177/00139165251315576 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Doell, K. C., Todorova, B., Vlasceanu, M., Coleman, J. B. B., Pronizius, E., Schumann, P. A., Azevedo, F., Patel, Y. H., Berkebile-Weinberg, M., Brick, C. A., et al. (2024) · Scientific Data · doi:10.1038/s41597-024-03865-1 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Syropoulos, S., Watkins, H. M., Goodwin, G. P., & Markowitz, E. M. (2023) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102092 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Climate Change Communication and Engagement With Older People in England
Latter, B. (2022) · Frontiers in Communication · doi:10.3389/fcomm.2022.848671 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Dennis, M. K., & Stock, P. V. (2023) · Journal of Gerontological Social Work · doi:10.1080/01634372.2023.2259942 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Intergenerational altruism and climate policy preferences
Agneman, G., Henriks, S., Bäck, H., & Renström, E. A. (2024) · PNAS Nexus · doi:10.1093/pnasnexus/pgae105 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
How to communicate with older adults about climate change: a systematic review
Pinna, S., Longo, D., Zanobini, P., Lorini, C., Bonaccorsi, G., Baccini, M., & Cecchi, F. (2024) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1347935 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Syropoulos, S., Law, K. F., Mah, A. Y. J., & Young, L. (2024) · BMC Psychology · doi:10.1186/s40359-024-01690-0 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Doherty, F., Fries, C. M. D., & Rao, S. (2026) · Issues in Mental Health Nursing · doi:10.1080/01612840.2025.2596952 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Towards a climate of hope: learning in response to frames at an innovative museum exhibit
Zummo, L., Schultz, C., Janney, B., Clifford, C., Davis, C., & Thompson, L. (2024) · Environmental Education Research · doi:10.1080/13504622.2024.2387755 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Doell, K. C., Todorova, B., Vlasceanu, M., Bak-Coleman, J. B., Pronizius, E., & Bavel, J. J. V. (2024) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/7fy2g · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Liu, X., Jun-fang, C., Tao, R., Li, S., & Zheng, R. (2024) · Behavioural Public Policy · doi:10.1017/bpp.2024.45 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Letters to the future challenge: A scalable online tool to engage management students with the SDGs
Schippers, M. C., de Jong, E. M., Rus, D., Rommers, H., & Banerjee, S. (2025) · The International Journal of Management Education · doi:10.1016/j.ijme.2025.101233 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Inwald, J. F., de Bruin, W. B., & Petsko, C. D. (2024) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0302434 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Wisdom: A Cultural Demand on Older Adults in Rural and Urban Areas
García-Méndez, A., Vergara-Lope, S., Lagunes-Córdoba, R., & Hernandis, S. P. (2025) · Societies · doi:10.3390/soc15060156 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Place Attachment and Climate Adaptation in Older Adults: A Proposed Theoretical Model
Grela, P. D. G., González, D. S., & Gallardo-Peralta, L. P. (2025) · Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour · doi:10.1111/jtsb.70020 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Sieverding, T., Kulcar, V., & Schmidt, K. (2024) · Sustainability · doi:10.3390/su16041477 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation in intergenerational cooperation
Imada, H., Inoue, Y., Yamamoto-Wilson, A., Saijo, T., & Mifune, N. (2025) · Communications Psychology · doi:10.1038/s44271-025-00272-z · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Maibach, E. W., Uppalapati, S. S., Orr, M., & Thaker, J. J. (2022) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4201560 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Shaping ideal futures: Writing a letter to the futurePreprint
Schippers, M., de Jong, E. M., Rus, D., & Rommers, H. (2023) · Social Science Research Network · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4372540 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Luong, K. T., Knobloch-Westerwick, S., & Brooks, D. (2021) · Environmental Communication · doi:10.1080/17524032.2021.1910531 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
An Integrative Perspective on Positive Ageing in Later Life
Solly, K. N., & Pachana, N. A. (2023) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780197567579.003.0012 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citationGenerativity, Environmentalism, and the Political Divide
Matsuba, M. K., Mah, A. Y. J., & Jia, F. (2024) · doi:10.1093/9780191966309.003.0018 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Identifying Who Engages in Sustainable Adaptation in Large-Scale Commodity AgriculturePreprint
Wilson, R. S., & Walpole, H. (2021) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-936827/v1 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
The Differential Impact of Climate Interventions along the Political Divide in 60 CountriesPreprint
Berkebile-Weinberg, M., Goldwert, D., Doell, K. C., Bavel, J. J. V., & Vlasceanu, M. (2024) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/jv6br · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Syropoulos, S., Law, K. F., Mah, A. Y. J., & Young, L. (2023) · doi:10.31234/osf.io/ept8a
Skoczeń, I., & Pirker, B. H. (2025) · Journal of Environmental Psychology · doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2025.102838
Syropoulos, S., Law, K. F., Mah, A., & Young, L. (2024) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.26700499
Zha, S., Li, X., & Zhang, Y. Z. (2026) · Behavioral Sciences · doi:10.3390/bs16050786
Becchetti, L., Buso, I. M., Corazzini, L., & Pelligra, V. (2026) · Theory and Decision · doi:10.1007/s11238-026-10159-y
Nowoczyn, M. C., Zerbes, A.-M., Nikitin, J., & Korlat, S. (2026) · Journal of Aging Studies · doi:10.1016/j.jaging.2026.101465
- Authors
- Wickersham, R. H., Zaval, L., Pachana, N. A., & Smyer, M. A.
- Affiliations
- University of Colorado Colorado Springs (US)
- Columbia University (US)
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- Bucknell University (US)
- Corresponding author
- Wickersham, Robert H.
- Venue
- PLOS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2020-02-25
- Volume
- 15
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- e0228963
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC7041806
- OpenAlex
- W3008366729
- Cited by
- 46
- References
- 40
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2
- FWCI
- 6.01
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- OSF Preprints (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Bucknell University
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Climate Change Communication and Perception
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law › Environmental Education and Sustainability
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Place Attachment and Urban Studies
- Keywords
- climate change communication, place attachment, pro-environmental behavior, climate action, older adults, lifespan differences, biophilia, message framing
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Aged, Attitude, Environment, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Motivation, Politics, United States, Intention, Young Adult, Climatic Processes, Climate Change
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
