A recent international survey-based study by researcher Felix Schulz (LUCSUS) and Christian Brette (University of Queensland) reveals a new take on why some people strongly back climate action while others do not. Their findings show that familiar psychological constructs effectively boil down to two core orientations of a self-focus and other-focus.
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Published on 15 September 2025, a recent international survey-based study by Lund University Centre for Sustainable Studies (LUCSUS) researcher Felix Schulz and Christian Bretter, University of Queensland reveals a new take on why some people strongly back climate action while others do not – and the answer may be simpler than previously thought.
In “Explaining environmental behavior with values, worldviews, and self-construal: Different sides of the same coin?” Schulz and Bretter find that familiar psychological constructs such as personal values, worldviews, and self-construal effectively boil down to two core orientations:
- A self-focus, where individuals prioritise their own interests.
- An other-focus, where individuals prioritise others (and the wider environment)
Schulz notes that: “what looked like different explanations of pro-environmental behaviours may in fact reflect the same basic orientation toward self or others”.
Policy and Communication
For policymakers and advocates, the findings suggest that emphasising a caring, community- and environment-oriented message may be particularly effective in building public support for climate action. According to the authors, efforts that nurture an “other-focus” – concern for other and for the planet – could help enable more robust climate policy.
The study focuses specifically on support for climate policy (not all forms of environmental behaviour), and the authors recommend future research to develop a richer, two-dimensional measure of self- and other-focus. Still, their research offers a fresh lens through which to view public engagement with climate change.