The Role of Subjective Attributions in the Association Between Australian Identity and Climate Policy Support Following the 2019/2020 “Black Summer” Bushfires

Bushfires are anticipated to become more severe in Australia due to climate change. However, Australians have a long history with bushfires, making them part of the Australian identity. We theorise that Australian identity would therefore lead people to be less likely to subjectively attribute bushfires to climate change and, in turn, be less supportive of climate policy. This pre-registered, cross-sectional study examined these relationships using a representative Australian sample (N = 5,038). In support of our hypotheses, subjective attribution partly explained the relationship between Australian identity and climate policy support. Specifically, those higher in Australian identity were less likely to attribute bushfires to climate change, which reduced their climate policy support. These findings expand our understanding of how differences in the content of a country’s national identity can impact climate outcomes and suggest that public campaigns should consider how appeals to national identity may influence climate policy support.