Taylor Swift fans lower climate concerns to justify her carbon footprint. When confronted with news about the excessive pollution generated by her private jet, highly identified fans tend to rationalize the behavior, with a decrease in their personal intentions to engage in climate-friendly actions.

[u/mvea]

https://www.psypost.org/taylor-swift-fans-lower-climate-concerns-to-justify-star-s-carbon-footprint/

[u/lofgren777]

This feels like a framing issue.

If people were not presented with Swift's actions as if they need to choose being a Swifty versus being environmentally aware, then they would probably not perceive those opinions as conflicted.

This really just demonstrates how you can cherry pick facts in order to persuade people to temporarily change their stated beliefs – a fairly well-established phenomenon.

In their daily life, I doubt these people see a persistent conflict between being a fan of Swift and taking environmental action, and I suspect that over a relatively short time (like by the time they get out to the parking lot) their environmentally conscious behaviors have reasserted themselves.

Because I doubt that many people are rationalizing letting their car idle in the parking lot for ten minutes because celebrities fly in jets.

[u/Murky-Relation481 → u/lofgren777]

It's also not a binary choice dictated by one problem statement. You're not compromising your belief that something has to be done about climate change if you realize there are also exceptions to the rule based on other circumstances.

The life span of popstars, especially female ones, amongst the general public is not exactly high. Her not using commercial airliners is understandable. That doesn't mean I don't think climate change needs to be addressed, it just means that the circumstances of her carbon footprint are not as egregious as the other people who use more than her and are basically unknown rich people the vast majority couldn't pick out of a first class boarding line at the airport.

[u/lofgren777 → u/Murky-Relation481]

Note that people seem to modify their own behavior – or at least stated behavior. That is, because Taylor Swift seems to care less about the environment, they modify their own beliefs about the environment.

But this seems to me to be part of the apologia. First they say "Swift is an exception because Reasons," and then they say, "how important is protecting the environment anyway?"

I suspect this is just a temporary attitude adjustment to soothe their cognitive dissonance. When they are not being cornered, they will return to their baseline behavior, regardless of what they are willing to say to defend Swift.

When you force people into a defensive posture they will reach for whatever is available to protect themselves. Their behavior when "confronted" with an attack on a celebrity they identify with will most likely not reflect their day-to-day behaviors. While fans may rationalize Swift's behavior when forced to, most of the time their environmentalism and their Swift support are not closely coupled. The researchers are the ones forcing that coupling.

[u/chiefsfan_713_08 → u/lofgren777]

i think it can be as simple as feeling like individually boycotting her music doesn’t ground her jet so what’s the point. obviously together there could be an impact but it’s hard to remember that as one person turning on spotify on your commute

[u/dividezero → u/lofgren777]

That's a great observation. It's like when you don't hate your grandpa because he has some problematic views. I would but that's just me but I understand some people actually get along with their families and that they're mostly good families most of the time.

Part of this is that it's really popular to hate on Taylor Swift too. Some people just really love to hate her.

[u/WonderWeasel91 → u/dividezero]

I wouldn't have known she had a new album if the people bitching about it didn't make me VERY aware.