Does psychological distance to climate change affect climate action? Preregistered meta-analyses of correlational and experimental evidence

Psychological distance (PD) to climate change is often assumed to reduce climate action. Yet, correlational and experimental studies have yielded inconsistent findings. Although several systematic reviews have addressed this topic, a quantitative meta-analytical synthesis has been lacking. In this context, we conducted two meta-analyses of correlational and experimental studies to more systematically quantify the relationship between PD and climate action, assess between-study heterogeneity, and explore potential moderators. An analysis of 40 correlational studies (82 effect sizes, N total = 36,305) found a negative relationship between PD and climate action ( r = -.24), while results from 34 experimental studies (84 effect sizes, N total = 57,855) revealed a negligible effect of interventions aiming at reducing PD ( r = .03). Publication bias analyses confirmed these results. Study heterogeneity was high for correlational and moderate-to-high for experimental studies. Moderation analyses showed a stronger effect for mitigation (vs. adaptation) actions in correlational studies, and when manipulating several (vs. one) PD dimensions in experimental studies. Other preregistered moderators (publication status, risk of bias, climate change vulnerability, and year of data collection) did not account for study heterogeneity. Exploratory analyses further suggested that (i) the strength of the association between PD and climate action depends on the PD scale and dimensions considered, and (ii) experimental manipulations of PD could yield substantial effects ( r > .10) for personal intentions under optimal conditions. We discussed theoretical issues, advocating for a stable and multidimensional perspective of PD to climate change, and raised methodological questions regarding comparison condition, overall rigour, and generalizability across contexts. We then offered recommendations to apply PD more effectively: first, by improving methods to reduce PD, and second, by implementing PD interventions alongside behaviour-focused strategies to mitigate the intention-behaviour gap.