biostudies-literatureVeckalov BColumbia University’s Office for Undergraduate Globe EducationSocial Psychology Program, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, University of AmsterdamNational Science Foundation (NSF)Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic: e-INFRA CZ projectNational Science Foundation1892-1905https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC11493676biostudies-literatureUnknown8(10)Communicating the scientific consensus that human-caused climate change is real increases climate change beliefs, worry and support for public action in the United States. In this preregistered experiment, we tested two scientific consensus messages, a classic message on the reality of human-caused climate change and an updated message additionally emphasizing scientific agreement that climate change is a crisis. Across online convenience samples from 27 countries (n = 10,527), the classic message substantially reduces misperceptions (d = 0.47, 95% CI (0.41, 0.52)) and slightly increases climate change beliefs (from d = 0.06, 95% CI (0.01, 0.11) to d = 0.10, 95% CI (0.04, 0.15)) and worry (d = 0.05, 95% CI (-0.01, 0.10)) but not support for public action directly. The updated message is eqNature human behaviourA 27-country test of communicating the scientific consensus on climate change.PMC11493676#2218595Bartos FGotz JKrug APaerels CAldoh AGeiger SJJordan GBratina Zimic AFarahat ENatarajan DJoustra SVeckalov BSchmidt JCatania APapirmeister RStablum FChorzepa MHoter-Ishay BAkın BKrajnc ZLoloff JRusyidi BWang RWhite MPVellinho Nardin VWattier MAndersen TLNiehoff ENewman-Oktan SPohl FRuggeri KBai JPeregrina SWong CYvan der Linden SYounssi MShavgulidze MRutjens BTChen AKlingebiel JWarner KBroyles MRemso Avan Harreveld FBerglund FRoh AfalseA 27-country test of communicating the scientific consensus on climate change.Communicating the scientific consensus that human-caused climate change is real increases climate change beliefs, worry and support for public action in the United States. In this preregistered experiment, we tested two scientific consensus messages, a classic message on the reality of human-caused climate change and an updated message additionally emphasizing scientific agreement that climate change is a crisis. Across online convenience samples from 27 countries (n = 10,527), the classic message substantially reduces misperceptions (d = 0.47, 95% CI (0.41, 0.52)) and slightly increases climate change beliefs (from d = 0.06, 95% CI (0.01, 0.11) to d = 0.10, 95% CI (0.04, 0.15)) and worry (d = 0.05, 95% CI (-0.01, 0.10)) but not support for public action directly. The updated message is eq2024-01-01T00:00:00Z2024 Oct2025-04-18T14:09:52.966Z2025-04-07T00:11:47.902ZS-EPMC114936763918771210.1038/s41562-024-01928-2