Self-efficacy
A person's belief in their own ability to carry out a particular action successfully.
Example
Someone who has already draught-proofed a home may feel more confident applying for a heat pump grant.
The catch
Confidence in carrying out an action says nothing about how much that action reduces emissions.
Related terms
Heat pump, Behaviour change, Bystander effect, Citizen participation, Climate agency, Climate anxiety
In more depth
Self-efficacy, explained.
Self-efficacy grows fastest through doing, so small, achievable first steps are the most reliable way to build it. Seeing someone similar succeed helps too, which is one reason neighbour-to-neighbour schemes can work for home energy upgrades.
Researchers separate it from response efficacy, the belief that an action makes a difference. Fear-heavy messages without a doable action tend to produce avoidance. Effective campaigns attach a specific next step. Collective efficacy describes the shared belief that a group can succeed, and the two tend to strengthen each other in community projects. Repeated failure works in the opposite direction and can slide towards learned helplessness.