Canada’s environment ministry spent nearly $80,000 on polling to see which climate change phrases Canadians prefer, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.
The ministry, under Minister Steven Guilbeault, contracted Sage Research Corporation for the survey, which resulted in the report “Nature Based Solutions And Cleaner Environment Advertising Campaign Testing,” viewed by Blacklock’s. The report says the ministry paid $79,015 for it.
“Participants were asked which of the following descriptors they would prefer: ‘climate change,’ ‘extreme weather,’ ‘climate crisis’ and ‘climate emergency,‘” said the report. “Preference was split between ‘climate change’ and ‘climate crisis.’”
Respondents who favoured “climate change” felt it is “a widely known and familiar phrase and should be used in order to appeal to a broader audience, and also not to turn off people who are skeptical about the seriousness of climate change,” the report said.
Those who favoured the phrase “climate crisis” said it carries more urgency. The phrase “climate change” has “been around for a long time” and, as a result, “they believe it has lost emotional impact,” the report said. “'Climate crisis’ is better at evoking an emotional response and a sense of urgency.”
A respondent is quoted as saying, “You might get some people’s hackles up,” using the term “crisis.”
“There are some folks out there who dispute the whole climate change issue in the first place,” the respondent said.
Others said “crisis” might make people feel it’s overwhelming.
