Collective efficacy
A group's belief that its joint effort can achieve a desired outcome.
Example
Visible progress and credible feedback can support confidence in shared activity.
The catch
A belief in effectiveness is different from measured effectiveness.
In more depth
Collective efficacy, explained.
Collective efficacy shapes climate action because people rarely join an effort they expect to fail. Studies of climate engagement find that the belief that one's group can make a difference goes with stronger support for climate policy and more willingness to take part in collective action. It is distinct from self-efficacy, which concerns one person's confidence in their own actions, and the two can diverge sharply. Someone can trust their own recycling habits completely and still doubt that their town could ever agree on a cycle lane.
Misjudging other people is a common drag on it. In Andre et al. (2024), a survey of about 130,000 people in 125 countries, 69% said they would give 1% of their income each month to fight climate change, yet people underestimated others' willingness by 26 percentage points. A person who believes most neighbours do not care will expect any joint effort to stall, a pattern known as pluralistic ignorance.
Efficacy beliefs are tied to particular goals. A parents' group can feel fully capable of insulating its school while doubting it could move national policy, so ask about a named goal when measuring it. Examples of comparable groups that succeeded, a form of social proof, tend to raise it more than general reassurance.