Irregular stimulus distribution increases the negative footprint illusion

Area of Science:

• Environmental psychology
• Urban planning
• Sustainable architecture

Background:

• Green buildings are crucial for climate change mitigation.
• Understanding public perception of green building carbon footprints is important.
• Spatial distribution of buildings may influence perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how the spatial distribution (regular vs. irregular) of green buildings affects community carbon footprint perception.
• To examine the influence of distribution on the negative footprint illusion.

Main Methods:

• Replication of the negative footprint illusion.
• Comparison of carbon footprint perception for regularly versus irregularly distributed green buildings.

Main Results:

• The negative footprint illusion was replicated.
• Irregular distribution of green buildings significantly increased the magnitude of the negative footprint illusion.
• People perceived communities with irregularly distributed green buildings as having a lower carbon footprint.

Conclusions:

• The spatial arrangement of green buildings influences public perception of their environmental impact.
• Irregular distribution can enhance the underestimation of a community's carbon footprint.
• Findings offer insights for urban planning strategies to optimize the communication of green building benefits.