Green morality: exploring the role of elaboration between moral framing and attitudes toward green energy

Abstract The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy is urgent, yet political polarization around climate change continues to impede progress. Strategic communication may help counter ideological resistance and foster bipartisan support for green energy initiatives. Guided by the Elaboration Likelihood Model and Moral Foundations Theory, this study examines how morally framed messages may enhance elaboration through increasing personal relevance. It also explores how this relationship varies by political ideology and how elaboration influences attitudes toward offshore wind and geothermal energy. Across two experiments, we found some evidence that the use of moral framing may increase elaboration, though the results did not reveal that these effects varied by ideology. We also found that increased elaboration with a persuasive message may lead to stronger attitudes toward green energy.