Climate change audience segmentation: An international review

Increasingly, researchers from different countries are using the marketing tool of segmentation to group the public based on what they think and feel about climate change, how climate change may impact their lives and through what channels they engage with the issue. As public opinion about climate change fluctuates, segmentation can track the composition of audience segments over time. Segmentation can be used as a tool to more effectively target specific groups when communicating about climate change. Although there is evidence that segmentation can support effective social marketing campaigns and be used to promote climate policies, researchers need to be mindful of appropriate application of the method. Segmentation related to climate change has been conducted in several countries around the world, and the findings converge among certain societies and diverge in others. These patterns often reflect similarities and differences in socio-economic development and the extent to which there is active denial of climate change.