What do you know about their world views? How are they different from yours?

Worldviews are the lens through which we see the world. They can be attitudinal, like optimism, or perceptual, such as being driven by laws of nature vs the divine. They are derived from philosophical, ideological or religious contexts. They are deeply held, and we don’t tend to change or reflect on them or even realize these perspectives are with what we are processing the world. Some cultures are very strongly governed by world views and in others it takes more of a back seat in daily life. Evaluating the difference between how you see the world and how your actors see the world is an important component of story building.

Worldviews exist along a continuum, with people falling on different points. These points can change and do not look the same across issues. Identifying the worldview of a community is important for a campaign to be able to identify messages and solutions that will resonate, and to avoid those that will lead to information avoidance or perceived threat.

Dan Kahan, professor of law and psychology at Yale University, and Donald Braman, legal scholar at The George Washington University, define each of the aspects of the dimensions below:

• Hierarchical: deference to and respect for authority. Emphasis on maintaining hierarchy and social categories within society.
• Egalitarian: distrust of social hierarchies and support for social equality.
• Individualist: respect for individual self-reliance. Highly ‘competitive’ in nature, in which people are expected to “fend for themselves” without collective assistance or interference.
• Communitarian: valuing the good of a community over individual opportunity. Believe their way of life is dependent upon other members of the group contributing. People work together in solidarity rather than compete.

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