Who’s striking, and who’s not? Avoiding and acknowledging bias in youth climate activism research

Abstract

The School Strike 4 Climate is a timely opportunity for education and research sectors to support youth stories in climate change policy, and foster impactful relationships between researchers, teachers and students. But much research in this space has inherent selection biases where youth representation in research is limited by place (such as attendance at a protest), snowball sampling (often within already engaged groups) or through education channels (such as private or independent schools), ultimately leading to unrepresentative response samples. This comment explores the challenges and opportunities for equitable inclusion of teenage voices in environmental research, including some practical approaches (such as inclusion of public schools) to ensure more diverse samples are represented. Implications for how the existing body of research should be viewed is discussed, highlighting an existing lack of representation of students that do not overtly engage with climate activism or School Strikes.

Between individualization and politicization: young people's interpretation patterns and action orientations in the face of climate change

“…31f. ), and thus countered a bias in qualitative research of primarily focusing on groups that are already engaged in climate action (Feldman, 2022). This systematic recruitment approach is crucial, as a diverse study group increases the likelihood of obtaining interview material that exhibits a wide range of perspectives.…”

Conscientisation and Radical Habitus: Expanding Bourdieu’s Theory of Practice in Youth Activism Studies

“…Studies of young people's activism needs to account for global inequalities in access to capital, and studies of climate activism needs to be particularly alert to the unequal effects of climate change across the globe [26]. The ability to participate in activism, and to participate in research about activism, depends on access to that capital [48], and thus researchers in the field of young people's climate activism must take care to avoid amplifying existing inequalities [49,50]. Just as in the case of the DREAMers, where those with greater capital were consciously aware of their capacity for heightened action, many young climate activists are also making efforts to act on behalf of their peers with less ability to do so.…”