Open Collections

Kara, Eylul

This study investigates the role of empathy and perspective-taking in shaping policy support toward oil and gas pipelines in Canada, with an applicable focus on the Trans Mountain Pipeline (TMX) project. Conducted through an online survey experiment with 442 participants, the study examines the influence of a perspective-taking exercise on policy support and political behaviour. By prompting participants to imagine themselves in the situation of those directly impacted by Canadian pipeline policies, this research aims to assess the potential of empathy, induced through perspective-taking, to foster a more inclusive approach to policy evaluation. The results indicate that perspective-taking significantly decreased the likelihood of support for pipeline policies. However, it did not have a significant effect on participants' willingness to engage in actions like signing a petition against the TMX expansion to the Canadian government. The study further revealed that participants who underwent the perspective-taking exercise reported higher levels of emotional intensity (concern, sympathy, anger, activism), which in turn, significantly correlated with a decrease in policy support. In this context, emotional response is understood as an important mechanism between perspective-taking and changes in policy support, suggesting a need for further research on their impact on policy attitudes and behaviors.

Graduating Project

eng

2024-07-17

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/88647

Unreviewed

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/