Climate information on sea level rise risk influences individuals' migration preferences in Vietnam

An important yet understudied factor in climate adaptation is information: are people informed about future climate-related risks, and does adaptation depend on this knowledge? Focusing on whether communication about projected sea level rise affects the stated likelihood of migration, here we developed a randomized information experiment implemented in a face-to-face survey of >7,000 respondents across Vietnam. We find that providing a text-based information treatment regarding Vietnam’s exposure to projected sea level rise increases respondents’ stated likelihood of migration, including respondents at low-risk. A map information treatment leads to a more targeted effect, only increasing the likelihood of migration among respondents in high-risk areas. Finally, adding doubt to the treatments, by mentioning an official repudiation of the information, does not reduce the treatments’ impact. Our findings are inconsistent with the assumption that people are fully informed about climate risks and highlight the importance of spatially precise information in facilitating climate adaptation.