Communicating about heatwaves: risk perception, message fatigue, and threat normalisation

This report is written for government and non-government agencies and organisations with a stake, role or interest in public heatwave risk communication. The research findings shared here are displayed in a way that hopefully affords translation into communication practice, whilst stimulating critical reflection on current strategies.

Overall, the aim of this report is to provide evidence to enhance the power of messages to increase protective action (behaviour) in heatwaves. What is presented here represents an important formative and substantive step in understanding some of the key social and psychological factors impinging on how messages are received and acted upon.