Why people hold back on climate action until others act first

Global awareness of climate change has grown rapidly, yet large-scale action continues to lag behind. This gap has long puzzled researchers and policymakers.

A new study from the University of Zurich points to a key reason: change does not spread evenly. Instead, it depends on how individuals think, how much social support they need, and how they are connected to others.

Understanding these patterns could help researchers and policymakers design more effective strategies for tackling climate change and other major societal challenges.

Why people resist change

People often believe that once a good solution appears, everyone will accept it quickly. In reality, change moves slowly because each person reacts differently.

Some people feel comfortable trying new ideas right away. Others prefer to wait until many people around them already accept the idea.

“People don’t change in isolation,” said study co-author Dr. Manuel Mariani, a principal investigator at the University of Zurich’s Department of Business Administration.

“They respond to what others around them are doing, but the amount of encouragement they need varies from person to person. Some people will try a new idea the moment they hear about it. Others wait until everyone else is doing it.”

This difference in behavior plays a big role in how fast change spreads in society.

Understanding personal tipping points

Researchers at the University of Zurich studied this idea closely. The team wanted to measure how much support a person needs before accepting a new idea. This level is called a personal threshold.

A personal threshold is like a tipping point. It shows how many people around someone must support an idea before that person joins in.

For example, one person may switch to a new energy policy after seeing just a few supporters. Another person may wait until most people agree. This shows that one single approach cannot work for everyone.

Tracking decision-making patterns

The research team used methods from marketing studies to understand human choices. Participants in the study made repeated decisions between options such as energy policies or messaging apps. Each option showed different levels of social support.

By studying these choices, researchers could estimate each person’s threshold. This method gave real data instead of guesses.

“This approach lets us infer individual tipping points directly from observed decisions, rather than guessing them,” said study co-author Radu Tanase at the University of Zurich.

This step helped the team understand not only what people choose, but also why and when people choose it.

The role of social networks

Human decisions do not happen alone. Friends, family, and online connections influence behavior. This is where social networks become important.

The researchers combined two ideas. One focused on personal thresholds, and the other focused on how people connect within social networks. The team then tested different ways to spread new behaviors through these networks.

The study used simulations based on real social networks. One method encouraged a small group to adopt a behavior first, with the goal of creating a chain reaction where more people follow.

Results showed that using both personal thresholds and network structure worked better than using either one alone.

Targeting change more effectively

The study found several important patterns. People with high thresholds need strong support before changing.

Targeting these individuals directly does not always work. A better approach is to focus on people connected to them who are already close to changing.

In cases where reaching people costs money, such as influencer marketing, more targeted strategies perform better.

These strategies use both network connections and personal thresholds to decide whom to target first. This approach saves time and resources while increasing impact.

Why climate action matters now

These findings can help governments and organizations design more effective programs. Climate action, public health campaigns, and social awareness efforts can all benefit from this research.

“By identifying who needs just a little nudge and how influence spreads through social networks, interventions can be designed to have a much larger impact,” said René Algesheimer, a professor of Marketing for Social Impact at the University of Zurich.

Instead of pushing everyone equally, programs can focus on the right people at the right time.

A step toward better social change

The study does not cover every real-life situation. Social behavior can be complex.

Still, this research offers a strong starting point. It shows that understanding human behavior is just as important as creating good solutions.

The study suggests that understanding who is ready to change – and who is not – may be just as important as understanding the networks they belong to. This insight can guide future efforts to solve global challenges more effectively.

The study is published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour.

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