Resource Type: Social Science Research

Place-based civic science (PBCS) can be a powerful tool to empower youth to act on environmental issues. This resource found that PBCS, as a method, resulted in youth feeling that they belong to a group larger than themselves and gained a sense of hope from working with others toward shared goals. PBCS is a teaching and organizing tool where young people partner on teams with older environmentalists, the teams study and act together to mitigate an environmental problem, and then present their efforts in a public venue. The youth involved in these PBCS teams were majority youth of color. This resource argues that PBCS can mitigate the stress and anxiety that young people can feel when learning about environmental issues without also being presented with ways to influence those issues.             

People who trust corporations less are more likely to participate in climate marches. This research from Germany surveyed 600 people, made up largely of younger people. It found that people who trust corporations less, trust their friends more, engage in more pro-environmental behaviors, and are more concerned about climate participate in climate marches more often; women also participate more than men. About 25% of people said they participate at least “sometimes.” About 6% said they participate in climate marches “often.”

Increasing the likelihood that an individual will take action to address climate change not only requires threats, but also efficacy. Efficacy is people’s perceptions about their ability to take action and the perceived effectiveness of those actions. However, communicators of climate change, including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), often fall short in communicating effective and motivational information about responses to climate change. This resource provides tangible actions for addressing efficacy in climate change communication.

Using humor in climate change communication can be persuasive to young audiences. A humorous video about climate change made survey respondents less fearful and more likely to perceive grave risks from climate change. However, humor did not increase intentions to engage in activism. Humor did not have any effect on older than their teens or early twenties. The rest of this resource replicated previous research and found no effects of humor or a threatening video on risk perceptions or intentions to engage in activism.