How Do Students Perceive and Evaluate Responses to Climate Change?

Abstract

Impacts of climate change are increasingly felt in our daily lives. Although scepticism is still found among certain social groups, most lay discourses show awareness of the current environmental challenges. In order to move forward and develop action plans to mitigate and adapt to climate change, young people are an important voice to be heard. This research article tackles questions pertaining to the relation between climate change communication, education and social perception of science, exploring social and cultural representations of climate change through the discourses of young people. Fieldwork involved eight focus groups conducted inBrazil, Mexico, Portugal and Spain with a total of 50 higher education students of Experimental/Natural Sciences and Engineering, and of Social Sciences and Humanities. Discussions were organized around 16 images referring to the causes, consequences and responses to climate change. Without significant differences between knowledge areas or countries, findings point to awareness of multiple types of responses to climate change, even though students' analyses were more grounded on common culture than on solid scientific evidence and language. Adaptation strategies were more rarely mentioned than mitigation actions. A strong emphasis was put on barriers to response implementation. Moderate optimism regarding some possible responses was impaired by distrust regarding the political and economic systems leading to calls for transformation at multiple levels.

Exploring Climate Change Perspectives. An Analysis of Undergraduate Students' Place‐Based Attachment in Appalachia, USA

“…Quantitative analysis of collected survey data revealed broader patterns and relationships of student attitude toward climate change, while qualitative analysis of interviews and focus groups illuminated further understandings on a more precise scale that was not afforded through quantitative analysis (see also Hanson and Pratt 1995). This sequencing, recommended by similar studies on climate change literacy (Morgado et al 2017; Vargas‐Callejas et al 2018), was necessary because the quantitative data collected by surveys had not sufficiently elucidated students' attitude toward climate change.…”

“…Notably, our work is significant because it contributes to a research gap in studies of college student understandings of climate change, with a regional focus in Appalachia. Likewise, our research was conducted through a mixed method approach, which allowed for a deeper analytical understanding of students' worldviews and values (Morgado et al 2017; Vargas‐Callejas et al 2018). Survey responses indicated contradictory findings, which were expanded upon via interviews and focus groups.…”

Hopes for the Future: Capturing the Perspectives of Students on Higher Education and Sustainable Development in the Post-Pandemic Era

“…Taking into account the students' perceptions of their sustainability competencies, knowledge, and practical skills, Cebrian et al [39] noted that students regard themselves as having knowledge and skills about sustainability at a medium level; furthermore, they are committed to voting for governments that address environmental issues and climate change. Students have emphasized the political power's importance in mitigating the effects of climate change [54]. Transitioning to sustainable societies is also a government responsibility [43].…”

Focus groups and serious gaming in climate change communication research—A methodological review

“…A first category of studies explores risk perceptions, perceptions of climate adaptation, and/or adaptive capacity in local communities in the Global South or in minority groups in high‐income countries (e.g., Devkota, Cockfield, & Maraseni, 2014). A second category analyses sense‐making processes, and how perceptions of climate change are formed and upheld among different audiences (e.g., Asplund, 2016; Vargas‐Callejas et al, 2018; Wibeck, 2014). A third, broad, category encompasses studies that focus on education, learning, awareness‐raising, and modes of effective communication (e.g., Hartikainen, Roininen, Katajajuuri, & Pulkkinen, 2014; Krantz, Monroe, & Bartels, 2013).…”