To what extent do interest group messages shape the public’s climate change policy preferences?

Interest groups campaign to influence public opinion on climate change, yet few studies have empirically examined whether they are successful in their aims. The current study investigates the extent to which characteristic arguments used by environmental and industry-backed interest groups are able to influence the public’s climate policy preferences. Using an original online survey experiment conducted in the UK (N = 796), we find that interest group messages can affect climate policy preferences. After reading an argument supporting a policy, respondents were significantly more likely than the control group to support the (strong or weak) policy endorsed by the argument, although broader policy views were unaffected. Policy endorsements had the same effect on policy preferences whether or not emphasis frames were used, and the effects were not moderated by the personal importance of climate change. Overall, the moderate effect sizes suggest that interest groups have limited influence over the public’s climate policy preferences.