Communicating Sustainability for Behaviour Change: A Systematic Review of Development Communication Strategies in Environmental and Social Transitions

This systematic review synthesises how development communication strategies support sustainability-related behaviour change across environmental and social transitions. Following PRISMA 2020 reporting principles, studies published between 2000 and 2025 were identified in Scopus, Web of Science Core Collection, and Communication & Mass Media Complete. After screening 784 records, 32 studies met the eligibility criteria. Five recurrent strategy clusters were identified: participatory and dialogic communication; narrative and values-based framing; social norms and feedback; social marketing and community-based campaign design; and digital and multi-platform engagement. The review's contribution is not to restate that awareness alone is insufficient, but to show how these meso-level strategies activate distinct micro-level mechanisms and depend on macro-level transition conditions. Evidence was strongest for short-run norm and feedback effects, while participatory studies most clearly illuminated trust, ownership, and contextual fit. The review offers a heuristic framework to guide policy, practice, and future comparative research.