Do fear tactics work?

The British government produced a commercial featuring a father reading a bedtime story to his daughter about the catastrophe the world will face if CO2 levels go unchecked.  At the end of the story, flood waters pour in and a puppy is seen drowning.

The UK Advertising Standards Authority received hundred of complaints from parents. The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) defended the ad it created stating that the ad was based on known science and was targeted for adults, not children.

Two weeks ago, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown warned that climate change negotiators had 50 days to save the world from catastrophic global warming. Without a new agreement in Copenhagen, Brown stated that Britain would  face “more frequent droughts and a rising wave of floods.”

In the new book, “Time to Eat the Dog: The Real Guide to Sustainable Living,”  New Zealand authors Robert and Brenda Vale’s conclude that dog ownership can be the equivalent to driving an SUV.  In the dog-loving world, that is one way to get attention for a new book.

And, it is not just the family pet adding to climate change, it is also your children.  Reduce the population and create a greener world.

Then just yesterday, British climate chief Lord Stern urged everyone to become a vegetarian because cattle give off too much methane, which is far worse for the climate  than CO2.

Fear tactics are not new, Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” released in 2006, was criticized as fearmongering because of its pictures of stranded polar bears, among other things.

For some, the word “fear” is too strong. Gerd Leipold, the Executive Director of Greenpeace, in a BBC interview, however, admitted and defended Greenpeace’s practice of “emotionalizing issues” in order to alter public opinion.

While climate change advocates’ use of fear and emotion seems to be on the rise, Americans’ belief in global warming, while still substantial, has declined.  An October 22 Pew Research survey found 57% of those polled believe that there is “solid evidence that the average temperature on earth has been getting warmer over the past few decades.” Last year in April 2008, that number was 71%, and in 2006 and 2007, it was even higher at 77%.

The October Pew Survey number of 57% seems in line with a September Rasmussen poll that 52% of all Americans agree with President Obama that “the danger posed by climate change cannot be denied, and our responsibility to meet it must not be deferred.”

However, the Rasmussen poll found that “65% say creating jobs is more important than taking steps to stop global warming”  and 56% aren’t willing to pay more taxes or higher utility prices for cleaner energy to combat global warming.

Fear can undoubtedly be a great motivator. If you believe we are at a tipping point for the climate, then you want to get the message out and get people to move. Fear and emotion will get attention.  If you believe global warming is a hoax, ads that play on fear will not move you at all.  If you are somewhere in-between, uncertain and unsure, does fear work?

A Harvard Business School study of leadership style - comparing those who lead by inspiration versus those who lead by intimidation -  found that there is no clear answer as to whether fear works as a motivator. Perhaps fear works initially and gradually people become inured to its effects.

When the state of the economy is so precarious and citizens are worried about their next paycheck, the value of their home, and the value of their 401K, the world is already a scary place. In such an environment, it is unclear whether ads that raise more fears or emotionalize issues, are the best way to move the public. The answer seems to lie within the institution, the culture and ultimately the individual.

Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w62gsctP2gc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC7bE9jopXE

Copyright 2009 - K.J.Collins