Dr Stuart Capstick
Senior Research Fellow
- CapstickSB@cardiff.ac.uk
- +44 29208 74682
- Tower Building, 70 Park Place, Cardiff, CF10 3AT
- Available for postgraduate supervision
Overview
I am interested in how people understand and act on climate change. What determines our level of interest and concern about this topic? How can we involve people in creating a better, low-carbon society? How can the necessary sense of urgency about climate change be translated into meaningful and far-reaching emissions reduction?
I am Deputy Director and theme lead for the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformation (CAST Centre), a 5-year investment from the Economic and Social Research Council. I am also active within the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, and an author on the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change. I co-edit one of the topic domains for the journal WIREs Climate Change.
Publication
2022
- Capstick, S., Thierry, A., Cox, E., Berglund, O., Westlake, S. and Steinberger, J. K. 2022. Civil disobedience by scientists helps press for urgent climate action. Nature Climate Change 12, pp. 773-774. (10.1038/s41558-022-01461-y)
- Capstick, S., Nash, N., Whitmarsh, L., Poortinga, W., Haggar, P. and Brügger, A. 2022. The connection between subjective wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviour: Individual and cross-national characteristics in a seven-country study. Environmental Science and Policy 133, pp. 63-73. (10.1016/j.envsci.2022.02.025)
2021
- Whitmarsh, L., Poortinga, W. and Capstick, S. 2021. Behaviour change to address climate change. Current Opinion in Psychology 42, pp. 76-81. (10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.04.002)
- Stoddard, I. et al. 2021. Three decades of climate mitigation: why haven't we bent the global emissions curve?. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 46(1), pp. 653-689. (10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-011104)
- Romanello, M. et al. 2021. The 2021 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: code red for a healthy future. The Lancet 398(10311), pp. 1619. (10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01787-6)
- Cherry, C., Capstick, S., Demski, C., Mellier, C., Stone, L. and Verfuerth, C. 2021. Citizens' climate assemblies: Understanding public deliberation for climate policy.. Project Report. Cardiff: Cardiff University.
- Brügger, A., Demski, C. and Capstick, S. 2021. How personal experience affects perception of and decisions related to climate change: A psychological view. Weather, Climate, and Society 13(3), pp. 397-408. (10.1175/WCAS-D-20-0100.1)
- Latter, B. and Capstick, S. 2021. Climate emergency: UK universities' declarations and their role in responding to climate change. Frontiers in Sustainability 2, article number: 660596. (10.3389/frsus.2021.660596)
- Nielsen, K. S., Clayton, S., Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Capstick, S. and Whitmarsh, L. 2021. How psychology can help limit climate change. American Psychologist 76(1), pp. 130-144. (10.1037/amp0000624)
- Watts, N. et al. 2021. The 2020 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: responding to converging crises. Lancet 397(10269), pp. 129-170. (10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32290-X)
2020
- Brügger, A., Gubler, M., Steentjes, K. and Capstick, S. B. 2020. Social identity and risk perception explain participation in the Swiss youth climate strikes. Sustainability 12(24), article number: 10605. (10.3390/su122410605)
- Whitmarsh, L., Capstick, S., Moore, I., Köhler, J. and Le Quéré, C. 2020. Use of aviation by climate change researchers: structural influences, personal attitudes, and information provision. Global Environmental Change 65, article number: 102184. (10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102184)
- Nash, N. et al. 2020. Local climate change cultures: Climate-relevant discursive practices in three emerging economies. Climatic Change 163, pp. 63-82. (10.1007/s10584-019-02477-8)
- Lamb, W. F. et al. 2020. Discourses of climate delay. Global Sustainability 3, article number: e17. (10.1017/sus.2020.13)
- Healy, A. et al. 2020. Domestic groundwater sbstraction in Lagos, Nigeria: A disjuncture in the science-policy-practice interface?. Environmental Research Letters 15(4), article number: 45006. (10.1088/1748-9326/ab7463)
- Capstick, S., Demski, C., Cherry, C., Verfuerth, C. and Steentjes, K. 2020. Climate change citizens' assemblies: CAST briefing paper 03. CAST Briefing Paper.
- Webster, R., Corner, A., Clarke, J. and Capstick, S. 2020. Communicating climate change during the Covid-19 crisis: what the evidence says. Climate Outreach. Available at: https://climateoutreach.org/reports/communicating-climate-during-covid-19/
- Capstick, S. et al. 2020. Bridging the gap - the role of equitable low-carbon lifestyles - Emissions Gap Report 2020 Chapter 6. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Available at: https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/34432
2019
- Watts, N. et al. 2019. The 2019 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: ensuring that the health of a child born today is not defined by a changing climate. Lancet 394(10211), pp. 1836-1878. (10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32596-6)
- Nash, N. et al. 2019. Reflecting on behavioral spillover in context: How do behavioral motivations and awareness catalyze other environmentally-responsible actions in Brazil, China and Denmark?. Frontiers in Psychology 10, article number: 788. (10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00788)
- Capstick, S., Whitmarsh, L., Nash, N., Haggar, P. and Lord, J. 2019. Compensatory and catalysing behavioural beliefs: development and psychometric properties of an instrument for measuring spillover-related perceptions in seven countries. Frontiers in Psychology 10, article number: 963. (10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00963)
- Ogunbode, C. A., Demski, C., Capstick, S. B. and Sposato, R. G. 2019. Attribution matters: Revisiting the link between extreme weather experience and climate change mitigation responses. Global Environmental Change 54, pp. 31-39. (10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.11.005)
- Ogunbode, C. A., Boehm, G., Capstick, S., Demski, C., Spence, A. and Tausch, N. 2019. The resilience paradox: flooding experience, coping and climate change mitigation intentions. Climate Policy 19(6), pp. 703-715. (10.1080/14693062.2018.1560242)
- Nash, N., Capstick, S., Whitmarsh, L., Chaudhary, I. and Manandhar, R. 2019. Perceptions of local environmental issues and the relevance of climate change in Nepal’s Terai: Perspectives from two communities. Frontiers in Sociology 4, article number: 60. (10.3389/fsoc.2019.00060)
- Capstick, S., Demski, C., Poortinga, W., Whitmarsh, L., Steentjes, K., Corner, A. and Graham, H. 2019. CAST Briefing Paper 02: Public opinion in a time of climate emergency. Working paper. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CAST-Briefing-02-Public-opinion-in-a-time-of-climate-emergency-1.pdf
2018
- Shaw, C., Hurth, V., Capstick, S. and Cox, E. 2018. Intermediaries' perspectives on the public's role in the energy transitions needed to deliver UK climate change policy goals. Energy Policy 116, pp. 267-276. (10.1016/j.enpol.2018.02.002)
- Capstick, S., Hemstock, S. and Senikula, R. 2018. Perspectives of artist-practitioners on the communication of climate change in the Pacific. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management 10(2), pp. 323-339. (10.1108/IJCCSM-03-2017-0058)
- Healy, A. et al. 2018. Resilience in groundwater supply systems: integrating resource based approaches with agency, behaviour and choice. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519947/
2017
- Nash, N. et al. 2017. Climate-relevant behavioural spillover and the potential contribution of social practice theory. WIREs Climate Change 8(6), article number: e481. (10.1002/wcc.481)
- Whitmarsh, L., Capstick, S. and Nash, N. 2017. Who is reducing their material consumption and why? A cross-cultural analysis of dematerialisation behaviours. Philosophical Transactions A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 375(2095), article number: 20160376. (10.1098/rsta.2016.0376)
- Demski, C., Capstick, S., Pidgeon, N., Sposato, R. G. and Spence, A. 2017. Experience of extreme weather affects climate change mitigation and adaptation responses. Climatic Change 140(2), pp. 149-164. (10.1007/s10584-016-1837-4)
2016
- Capstick, S. B., Pidgeon, N. F., Corner, A. J., Spence, E. M. and Pearson, P. N. 2016. Public understanding in Great Britain of ocean acidification. Nature Climate Change 6, pp. 763-767. (10.1038/nclimate3005)
- Howell, R., Capstick, S. B. and Whitmarsh, L. E. 2016. Impacts of adaptation and responsibility framings on attitudes towards climate change mitigation. Climatic Change 136(3), pp. 445-461. (10.1007/s10584-016-1627-z)
2015
- Capstick, S. B., Pidgeon, N. F. and Henwood, K. 2015. Stability and change in British public discourses about climate change between 1997 and 2010. Environmental Values 24(6), pp. 725-753. (10.3197/096327115X14420732702617)
- Capstick, S. B., Corner, A. J. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2015. Climate change communication. In: Luber, G. and Lemery, J. eds. Global Climate Change and Human Health: From Science to Practice. Jossey-Bass, pp. 467-502.
- Jefferson, R., McKinley, E., Capstick, S., Fletcher, S., Griffin, H. and Milanese, M. 2015. Understanding audiences: Making public perceptions research matter to marine conservation. Ocean & Coastal Management 115, pp. 61-70. (10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2015.06.014)
- Capstick, S. B., Demski, C. C., Sposato, R. G., Pidgeon, N. F., Spence, A. and Corner, A. J. 2015. Public perception of climate change in Britain following the winter 2013/2014 flooding. Project Report. Cardiff: Cardiff University.
2014
- Capstick, S. B., Whitmarsh, L. E., Poortinga, W., Pidgeon, N. F. and Upham, P. 2014. International trends in public perceptions of climate change over the past quarter century. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 6(1), pp. 35-61. (10.1002/wcc.321)
- Capstick, S. B. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2014. Public perception of cold weather events as evidence for and against climate change. Climatic Change 122(4), pp. 695-708. (10.1007/s10584-013-1003-1)
- Capstick, S. B. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2014. What is climate change scepticism? Examination of the concept using a mixed methods study of the UK public. Global Environmental Change 24, pp. 389-401. (10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.08.012)
- Corner, A. J., Capstick, S. B. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2014. Public perceptions of ocean acidification summary findings of two nationally representative surveys of the British public, October 2014. Working paper. Cardiff University.
- Capstick, S. B., Lorenzoni, I., Corner, A. and Whitmarsh, L. E. 2014. Prospects for radical emissions reduction through behavior and lifestyle change. Carbon Management 5(4), pp. 429-445. (10.1080/17583004.2015.1020011)
2013
- Capstick, S. B. 2013. Public understanding of climate change as a social dilemma. Sustainability 5(8), pp. 3484-3501. (10.3390/su5083484)
- Capstick, S. B., Pidgeon, N. and Whitehead, M. 2013. Public perceptions of climate change in Wales: Summary findings of a survey of the Welsh public conducted during November and December 2012. Project Report. [Online]. Climate Change Consortium of Wales. Available at: http://c3wales.org/thematic_clusters/survey-findings-reveal-public-perceptions-of-climate-change/
2012
- Capstick, S. B. 2012. Climate change discourses in use by the UK public: commonalities and variations over a fifteen year period. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
2011
- Poortinga, W., Spence, A., Whitmarsh, L. E., Capstick, S. B. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2011. Uncertain climate: An investigation into public scepticism about anthropogenic climate change. Global Environmental Change 21(3), pp. 1015-1024. (10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.03.001)
- Parag, Y., Capstick, S. B. and Poortinga, W. 2011. Policy attribute framing: A comparison between three policy instruments for personal emissions reduction. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 30(4), pp. 889-905. (10.1002/pam.20610)
2010
- Capstick, S. B. and Lewis, A. 2010. Effects of personal carbon allowances on decision-making: evidence from an experimental simulation. Climate Policy 10(4), pp. 369-384. (10.3763/cpol.2009.0034)
2009
- Capstick, S. B., Norris, P., Sopoaga, F. and Tobata, W. 2009. Relationships between health and culture in Polynesia - A review. Social Science & Medicine 68(7), pp. 1341-1348. (10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.01.002)
2008
- Capstick, S., Beresford, R. and Gray, A. 2008. Rural pharmacy in New Zealand: Effects of a compulsory externship on student perspectives and implications for workforce shortage. Australian Journal of Rural Health 16(3), pp. 150. (10.1111/j.1440-1584.2008.00965.x)
2007
- Capstick, S., Beresford, R. and Green, J. 2007. Choosing a course of study and career in pharmacy — student attitudes and intentions across three years at a New Zealand School of Pharmacy. Pharmacy Education 7(4), pp. 359-373.
- Capstick, S. B. and Beresford, R. 2007. A comparison of student attitudes and intentions at the start and end of their BPharm degree programme. Pharmacy Education 7(3), pp. 267-277.
2002
- Capstick, S. B. and Fleming, H. 2002. Peer Assisted Learning in an Undergraduate Hospitality Course: Second Year Students Supporting First Year Students in Group Learning. The Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism 1(1), pp. 69-76. (10.3794/johlste.11.1)
Adrannau llyfrau
- Capstick, S. B., Corner, A. J. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2015. Climate change communication. In: Luber, G. and Lemery, J. eds. Global Climate Change and Human Health: From Science to Practice. Jossey-Bass, pp. 467-502.
Erthyglau
- Capstick, S., Thierry, A., Cox, E., Berglund, O., Westlake, S. and Steinberger, J. K. 2022. Civil disobedience by scientists helps press for urgent climate action. Nature Climate Change 12, pp. 773-774. (10.1038/s41558-022-01461-y)
- Capstick, S., Nash, N., Whitmarsh, L., Poortinga, W., Haggar, P. and Brügger, A. 2022. The connection between subjective wellbeing and pro-environmental behaviour: Individual and cross-national characteristics in a seven-country study. Environmental Science and Policy 133, pp. 63-73. (10.1016/j.envsci.2022.02.025)
- Whitmarsh, L., Poortinga, W. and Capstick, S. 2021. Behaviour change to address climate change. Current Opinion in Psychology 42, pp. 76-81. (10.1016/j.copsyc.2021.04.002)
- Stoddard, I. et al. 2021. Three decades of climate mitigation: why haven't we bent the global emissions curve?. Annual Review of Environment and Resources 46(1), pp. 653-689. (10.1146/annurev-environ-012220-011104)
- Romanello, M. et al. 2021. The 2021 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: code red for a healthy future. The Lancet 398(10311), pp. 1619. (10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01787-6)
- Brügger, A., Demski, C. and Capstick, S. 2021. How personal experience affects perception of and decisions related to climate change: A psychological view. Weather, Climate, and Society 13(3), pp. 397-408. (10.1175/WCAS-D-20-0100.1)
- Latter, B. and Capstick, S. 2021. Climate emergency: UK universities' declarations and their role in responding to climate change. Frontiers in Sustainability 2, article number: 660596. (10.3389/frsus.2021.660596)
- Nielsen, K. S., Clayton, S., Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Capstick, S. and Whitmarsh, L. 2021. How psychology can help limit climate change. American Psychologist 76(1), pp. 130-144. (10.1037/amp0000624)
- Watts, N. et al. 2021. The 2020 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: responding to converging crises. Lancet 397(10269), pp. 129-170. (10.1016/S0140-6736(20)32290-X)
- Brügger, A., Gubler, M., Steentjes, K. and Capstick, S. B. 2020. Social identity and risk perception explain participation in the Swiss youth climate strikes. Sustainability 12(24), article number: 10605. (10.3390/su122410605)
- Whitmarsh, L., Capstick, S., Moore, I., Köhler, J. and Le Quéré, C. 2020. Use of aviation by climate change researchers: structural influences, personal attitudes, and information provision. Global Environmental Change 65, article number: 102184. (10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2020.102184)
- Nash, N. et al. 2020. Local climate change cultures: Climate-relevant discursive practices in three emerging economies. Climatic Change 163, pp. 63-82. (10.1007/s10584-019-02477-8)
- Lamb, W. F. et al. 2020. Discourses of climate delay. Global Sustainability 3, article number: e17. (10.1017/sus.2020.13)
- Healy, A. et al. 2020. Domestic groundwater sbstraction in Lagos, Nigeria: A disjuncture in the science-policy-practice interface?. Environmental Research Letters 15(4), article number: 45006. (10.1088/1748-9326/ab7463)
- Watts, N. et al. 2019. The 2019 report of The Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: ensuring that the health of a child born today is not defined by a changing climate. Lancet 394(10211), pp. 1836-1878. (10.1016/S0140-6736(19)32596-6)
- Nash, N. et al. 2019. Reflecting on behavioral spillover in context: How do behavioral motivations and awareness catalyze other environmentally-responsible actions in Brazil, China and Denmark?. Frontiers in Psychology 10, article number: 788. (10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00788)
- Capstick, S., Whitmarsh, L., Nash, N., Haggar, P. and Lord, J. 2019. Compensatory and catalysing behavioural beliefs: development and psychometric properties of an instrument for measuring spillover-related perceptions in seven countries. Frontiers in Psychology 10, article number: 963. (10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00963)
- Ogunbode, C. A., Demski, C., Capstick, S. B. and Sposato, R. G. 2019. Attribution matters: Revisiting the link between extreme weather experience and climate change mitigation responses. Global Environmental Change 54, pp. 31-39. (10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2018.11.005)
- Ogunbode, C. A., Boehm, G., Capstick, S., Demski, C., Spence, A. and Tausch, N. 2019. The resilience paradox: flooding experience, coping and climate change mitigation intentions. Climate Policy 19(6), pp. 703-715. (10.1080/14693062.2018.1560242)
- Nash, N., Capstick, S., Whitmarsh, L., Chaudhary, I. and Manandhar, R. 2019. Perceptions of local environmental issues and the relevance of climate change in Nepal’s Terai: Perspectives from two communities. Frontiers in Sociology 4, article number: 60. (10.3389/fsoc.2019.00060)
- Shaw, C., Hurth, V., Capstick, S. and Cox, E. 2018. Intermediaries' perspectives on the public's role in the energy transitions needed to deliver UK climate change policy goals. Energy Policy 116, pp. 267-276. (10.1016/j.enpol.2018.02.002)
- Capstick, S., Hemstock, S. and Senikula, R. 2018. Perspectives of artist-practitioners on the communication of climate change in the Pacific. International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and Management 10(2), pp. 323-339. (10.1108/IJCCSM-03-2017-0058)
- Nash, N. et al. 2017. Climate-relevant behavioural spillover and the potential contribution of social practice theory. WIREs Climate Change 8(6), article number: e481. (10.1002/wcc.481)
- Whitmarsh, L., Capstick, S. and Nash, N. 2017. Who is reducing their material consumption and why? A cross-cultural analysis of dematerialisation behaviours. Philosophical Transactions A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences 375(2095), article number: 20160376. (10.1098/rsta.2016.0376)
- Demski, C., Capstick, S., Pidgeon, N., Sposato, R. G. and Spence, A. 2017. Experience of extreme weather affects climate change mitigation and adaptation responses. Climatic Change 140(2), pp. 149-164. (10.1007/s10584-016-1837-4)
- Capstick, S. B., Pidgeon, N. F., Corner, A. J., Spence, E. M. and Pearson, P. N. 2016. Public understanding in Great Britain of ocean acidification. Nature Climate Change 6, pp. 763-767. (10.1038/nclimate3005)
- Howell, R., Capstick, S. B. and Whitmarsh, L. E. 2016. Impacts of adaptation and responsibility framings on attitudes towards climate change mitigation. Climatic Change 136(3), pp. 445-461. (10.1007/s10584-016-1627-z)
- Capstick, S. B., Pidgeon, N. F. and Henwood, K. 2015. Stability and change in British public discourses about climate change between 1997 and 2010. Environmental Values 24(6), pp. 725-753. (10.3197/096327115X14420732702617)
- Jefferson, R., McKinley, E., Capstick, S., Fletcher, S., Griffin, H. and Milanese, M. 2015. Understanding audiences: Making public perceptions research matter to marine conservation. Ocean & Coastal Management 115, pp. 61-70. (10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2015.06.014)
- Capstick, S. B., Whitmarsh, L. E., Poortinga, W., Pidgeon, N. F. and Upham, P. 2014. International trends in public perceptions of climate change over the past quarter century. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 6(1), pp. 35-61. (10.1002/wcc.321)
- Capstick, S. B. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2014. Public perception of cold weather events as evidence for and against climate change. Climatic Change 122(4), pp. 695-708. (10.1007/s10584-013-1003-1)
- Capstick, S. B. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2014. What is climate change scepticism? Examination of the concept using a mixed methods study of the UK public. Global Environmental Change 24, pp. 389-401. (10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.08.012)
- Capstick, S. B., Lorenzoni, I., Corner, A. and Whitmarsh, L. E. 2014. Prospects for radical emissions reduction through behavior and lifestyle change. Carbon Management 5(4), pp. 429-445. (10.1080/17583004.2015.1020011)
- Capstick, S. B. 2013. Public understanding of climate change as a social dilemma. Sustainability 5(8), pp. 3484-3501. (10.3390/su5083484)
- Poortinga, W., Spence, A., Whitmarsh, L. E., Capstick, S. B. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2011. Uncertain climate: An investigation into public scepticism about anthropogenic climate change. Global Environmental Change 21(3), pp. 1015-1024. (10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2011.03.001)
- Parag, Y., Capstick, S. B. and Poortinga, W. 2011. Policy attribute framing: A comparison between three policy instruments for personal emissions reduction. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management 30(4), pp. 889-905. (10.1002/pam.20610)
- Capstick, S. B. and Lewis, A. 2010. Effects of personal carbon allowances on decision-making: evidence from an experimental simulation. Climate Policy 10(4), pp. 369-384. (10.3763/cpol.2009.0034)
- Capstick, S. B., Norris, P., Sopoaga, F. and Tobata, W. 2009. Relationships between health and culture in Polynesia - A review. Social Science & Medicine 68(7), pp. 1341-1348. (10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.01.002)
- Capstick, S., Beresford, R. and Gray, A. 2008. Rural pharmacy in New Zealand: Effects of a compulsory externship on student perspectives and implications for workforce shortage. Australian Journal of Rural Health 16(3), pp. 150. (10.1111/j.1440-1584.2008.00965.x)
- Capstick, S., Beresford, R. and Green, J. 2007. Choosing a course of study and career in pharmacy — student attitudes and intentions across three years at a New Zealand School of Pharmacy. Pharmacy Education 7(4), pp. 359-373.
- Capstick, S. B. and Beresford, R. 2007. A comparison of student attitudes and intentions at the start and end of their BPharm degree programme. Pharmacy Education 7(3), pp. 267-277.
- Capstick, S. B. and Fleming, H. 2002. Peer Assisted Learning in an Undergraduate Hospitality Course: Second Year Students Supporting First Year Students in Group Learning. The Journal of Hospitality, Leisure, Sport and Tourism 1(1), pp. 69-76. (10.3794/johlste.11.1)
Gosodiad
- Capstick, S. B. 2012. Climate change discourses in use by the UK public: commonalities and variations over a fifteen year period. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University.
Monograffau
- Cherry, C., Capstick, S., Demski, C., Mellier, C., Stone, L. and Verfuerth, C. 2021. Citizens' climate assemblies: Understanding public deliberation for climate policy.. Project Report. Cardiff: Cardiff University.
- Capstick, S., Demski, C., Cherry, C., Verfuerth, C. and Steentjes, K. 2020. Climate change citizens' assemblies: CAST briefing paper 03. CAST Briefing Paper.
- Webster, R., Corner, A., Clarke, J. and Capstick, S. 2020. Communicating climate change during the Covid-19 crisis: what the evidence says. Climate Outreach. Available at: https://climateoutreach.org/reports/communicating-climate-during-covid-19/
- Capstick, S. et al. 2020. Bridging the gap - the role of equitable low-carbon lifestyles - Emissions Gap Report 2020 Chapter 6. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). Available at: https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/34432
- Capstick, S., Demski, C., Poortinga, W., Whitmarsh, L., Steentjes, K., Corner, A. and Graham, H. 2019. CAST Briefing Paper 02: Public opinion in a time of climate emergency. Working paper. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: https://cast.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/CAST-Briefing-02-Public-opinion-in-a-time-of-climate-emergency-1.pdf
- Healy, A. et al. 2018. Resilience in groundwater supply systems: integrating resource based approaches with agency, behaviour and choice. Cardiff: Cardiff University. Available at: http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/519947/
- Capstick, S. B., Demski, C. C., Sposato, R. G., Pidgeon, N. F., Spence, A. and Corner, A. J. 2015. Public perception of climate change in Britain following the winter 2013/2014 flooding. Project Report. Cardiff: Cardiff University.
- Corner, A. J., Capstick, S. B. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2014. Public perceptions of ocean acidification summary findings of two nationally representative surveys of the British public, October 2014. Working paper. Cardiff University.
- Capstick, S. B., Pidgeon, N. and Whitehead, M. 2013. Public perceptions of climate change in Wales: Summary findings of a survey of the Welsh public conducted during November and December 2012. Project Report. [Online]. Climate Change Consortium of Wales. Available at: http://c3wales.org/thematic_clusters/survey-findings-reveal-public-perceptions-of-climate-change/
- Capstick, S. B., Pidgeon, N. F. and Henwood, K. 2015. Stability and change in British public discourses about climate change between 1997 and 2010. Environmental Values 24(6), pp. 725-753. (10.3197/096327115X14420732702617)
- Capstick, S. B., Whitmarsh, L. E., Poortinga, W., Pidgeon, N. F. and Upham, P. 2014. International trends in public perceptions of climate change over the past quarter century. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change 6(1), pp. 35-61. (10.1002/wcc.321)
- Capstick, S. B. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2014. Public perception of cold weather events as evidence for and against climate change. Climatic Change 122(4), pp. 695-708. (10.1007/s10584-013-1003-1)
- Capstick, S. B. and Pidgeon, N. F. 2014. What is climate change scepticism? Examination of the concept using a mixed methods study of the UK public. Global Environmental Change 24, pp. 389-401. (10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2013.08.012)
- Capstick, S. B., Lorenzoni, I., Corner, A. and Whitmarsh, L. E. 2014. Prospects for radical emissions reduction through behavior and lifestyle change. Carbon Management 5(4), pp. 429-445. (10.1080/17583004.2015.1020011)
- Capstick, S. B. 2013. Public understanding of climate change as a social dilemma. Sustainability 5(8), pp. 3484-3501. (10.3390/su5083484)
- Capstick, S. B., Norris, P., Sopoaga, F. and Tobata, W. 2009. Relationships between health and culture in Polynesia - A review. Social Science & Medicine 68(7), pp. 1341-1348. (10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.01.002)
Research
Research topics and wider interests
I mostly work within the Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST Centre). I co-lead the Centre's ' trialling' theme together with Wouter Poortinga, which aims to develop ambitious yet practical approaches that can bring about emissions reduction and positive social change in real-world settings. For example, we are working with the climate action organisation Possible to develop projects with communities, and with the Welsh Government to co-design new policy.
I am interested in the role of research culture and universities in responding effectively to the climate emergency. Together with others in the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, I have proposed approaches for pursuing a low-carbon research culture. These have been picked up by others, including a 2015 Nature editorial. I am an active member of the Tyndall Centre, being a member of the Tyndall Council and co-leading the 'accelerating social transitions' theme with Claire Hoolohan and Charlie Wilson.
In 2019, I joined the research team for the Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change, and continue to work as part of the working group considering public and political engagement with health and climate change. I am one of the lead authors of a new chapter on how to achieve lifestyle change for the United Nations Environment Program's 2020 Emissions Gap Report.
I have an ongoing interest in cross-cultural understanding of climate change and environmentally-significant behaviours. I worked for a number of years with Nick Nash and Lorraine Whitmarsh within the CASPI project to examine the cultural, contextual and personal factors underpinning sustainable lifestyles and how 'spillover' may occur between different pro-environmental behaviours.
As part of the Climate Communication Project, I have previously worked with researchers from the natural and social sciences, and practitioners from climate change organisations, to promote better communication of climate change. Other research I have carried out, in which I maintain an active interest, includes the role of personal experience on climate change perceptions; public understanding of ocean acidification; use of artistic approaches to communicate climate change; applying social science techniques to exploring water use practices in Africa; and the ways in which people's views on climate change have developed over time.
Teaching
I teach on the final year Environmental Psychology module and supervise final year student student projects in relation to environmental psychology. I am pleased to say that two final year students I have supervised have won the national Jonathan Sime award in recognition of a significant contribution to the field of people-environment research in an undergraduate dissertation - Robert Hickman in 2017, and Frieda Lürken in 2020.
Biography
Undergraduate education
BSc Psychology, Plymouth University
Postgraduate education
Master in Research Methods, University of Bath
PhD in Psychology, Cardiff University
Employment
March 2015 – present: Research Fellow, School of Psychology, Cardiff University
November 2011 – February 2015: Research Associate, School of Psychology, Cardiff University
October 2008 – October 2011: PhD student, School of Psychology, Cardiff University
June 2006 – February 2007: Research assistant, School of Pharmacy, University of Otago, New Zealand.
Supervisions
I am interested in supervising PhD students interested in the social science of climate change. This includes, but is not limited to, topics in relation to public perceptions and understanding of climate change; social, behavioural and lifestyle change; climate change communication; activism and urgency.
Current supervision

Miss Briony Latter
Research student