Results of the DISINFO Climate Project Presented at the International Conference InPACT 2026 – International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends; Madeira, Portugal, 18-20/04/2026
Renata Franc, PhD, Principal Investigator of the DISINFO Climate project (Pilar Institute, NextGenerationEU) presented findings through a poster titled “Hierarchy over Nature? Ecological Dominance Orientation and Climate Change” (Franc, R., Neralić, M., Pavlović, T.). The study examined the relationship between ecological dominance orientation (i.e., a hierarchical view of humans over nature) and attitudes toward climate change
– InPACT 2026: International Psychological Applications Conference and Trends
A pilot survey conducted in late 2025 showed that individuals higher in ecological dominance orientation – controlling for gender, age, political orientation, and religiosity – attribute less importance to climate change, are less likely to accept the reality of climate change, and are less willing to change their behaviour in order to mitigate its effects or adapt to its consequences. Accordingly, they are also more likely to believe that they personally cannot do anything to influence climate change.
These findings highlight the importance of specific ideological orientations, such as ecological dominance orientation, in designing interventions and public policies aimed at promoting climate change mitigation and adaptation behaviours.
