IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v15y2023i18p13917-d1243163.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

All Shades of Green: The Anatomy of the Fridays for Future Movement in Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Viktoriia Tomnyuk

    (Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin, Lungo Dora Siena, 100 A, 10153 Torino, Italy
    Department Economics and Statistics “Cognetti de Martiis”, University of Turin, Lungo Dora Siena, 100 A, 10153 Torino, Italy)

  • Giuseppe Varavallo

    (Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin, Lungo Dora Siena, 100 A, 10153 Torino, Italy
    Department Economics and Statistics “Cognetti de Martiis”, University of Turin, Lungo Dora Siena, 100 A, 10153 Torino, Italy)

  • Tania Parisi

    (Department of Philosophy and Education Sciences, University of Turin, Via Sant’Ottavio, 20, 10124 Torino, Italy)

  • Filippo Barbera

    (Department of Cultures, Politics and Society, University of Turin, Lungo Dora Siena, 100 A, 10153 Torino, Italy
    Collegio Carlo Alberto, Piazza Vincenzo Arbarello, 8, 10122 Torino, Italy)

Abstract

The Fridays for Future (FFF) movement has emerged as a critical force in environmental activism in response to pressing climate challenges. Despite its global prominence, few studies have delved deeply into the internal lines of thought within FFF communities. Our research fills this gap by exploring the diverse perspectives within the Italian FFF community and how these viewpoints influence the movement’s civic and political dedication to environmental sustainability. We are specifically interested in the shades of green , namely the internal variations of attitudes and beliefs of the FFF participants. We conducted empirical research with over 300 climate activists from the FFF movement in Italy, collecting data from March to October 2022 using a Web-based respondent-driven sampling technique (webRDS). The questionnaire, comprising 27 questions, covers topics such as political values, institutional trust, technological attitudes, climate knowledge, and personal lifestyles. We chose Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) for our analysis due to its valuable mathematical properties, capability for producing insightful visual representations, and efficient computational features. The analysis reveals four distinct groups within the Italian FFF community based on their attitudes and actions related to environmental sustainability. These groups include Activist Equalizer, Disillusioned Technophobes, Institution Trustee, and Laissez-faire Solitaries, challenging the prevailing notion that FFF activists solely fit the profile of Activist Equalizers often depicted in media and public discourse. Findings offer a novel picture of the FFF movement in Italy and contribute to a better understanding of how the internal diversity of FFF impacts the efficacy and future trajectory of environmental activism. This research offers new insight into the political role of FFF and its potential influence on climate-related political actions.

Suggested Citation

  • Viktoriia Tomnyuk & Giuseppe Varavallo & Tania Parisi & Filippo Barbera, 2023. "All Shades of Green: The Anatomy of the Fridays for Future Movement in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-16, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13917-:d:1243163
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13917/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/18/13917/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Michael J. Greenacre, 1991. "Interpreting multiple correspondence analysis," Applied Stochastic Models and Data Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 7(2), pages 195-210, June.
    2. Giuliana Sorce, 2022. "The “Greta Effect”: Networked Mobilization and Leader Identification Among Fridays for Future Protesters," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(2), pages 18-28.
    3. Adrian Brügger & Moritz Gubler & Katharine Steentjes & Stuart B. Capstick, 2020. "Social Identity and Risk Perception Explain Participation in the Swiss Youth Climate Strikes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-17, December.
    4. Renan de Almeida Barbosa & Christoph Randler & José Vicente Lima Robaina, 2021. "Values and Environmental Knowledge of Student Participants of Climate Strikes: A Comparative Perspective between Brazil and Germany," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(14), pages 1-18, July.
    5. Matthias Kowasch & Joana P. Cruz & Pedro Reis & Niklas Gericke & Katharina Kicker, 2021. "Climate Youth Activism Initiatives: Motivations and Aims, and the Potential to Integrate Climate Activism into ESD and Transformative Learning," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-25, October.
    6. Salvia, Monica & Reckien, Diana & Geneletti, Davide & Pietrapertosa, Filomena & D'Alonzo, Valentina & De Gregorio Hurtado, Sonia & Chatterjee, Souran & Bai, Xuemei & Ürge-Vorsatz, Diana, 2023. "Understanding the motivations and implications of climate emergency declarations in cities: The case of Italy," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 178(C).
    7. Shelley Boulianne & Mireille Lalancette & David Ilkiw, 2020. "“School Strike 4 Climate”: Social Media and the International Youth Protest on Climate Change," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 8(2), pages 208-218.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Harriet Thew & Lucie Middlemiss & Jouni Paavola, 2022. "“You Need a Month’s Holiday Just to Get over It!” Exploring Young People’s Lived Experiences of the UN Climate Change Negotiations," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-21, April.
    2. Cato Waeterloos & Peter Conradie & Michel Walrave & Koen Ponnet, 2021. "Digital Issue Movements: Political Repertoires and Drivers of Participation among Belgian Youth in the Context of ‘School Strike for Climate’," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-19, September.
    3. Anna Maria Koukal & Patricia Schafer & Reiner Eichenberger, 2020. "The Trade-off between Deepening and Broadening of Democracy Lessons from Youth Enfranchisement," CREMA Working Paper Series 2020-16, Center for Research in Economics, Management and the Arts (CREMA).
    4. Jarke-Neuert, Johannes & Perino, Grischa & Schwickert, Henrike, 2021. "Free-Riding for Future: Field Experimental Evidence of Strategic Substitutability in Climate Protest," SocArXiv sh6dm, Center for Open Science.
    5. Kılkış, Şiir & Ulpiani, Giulia & Vetters, Nadja, 2024. "Visions for climate neutrality and opportunities for co-learning in European cities," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    6. Zbigniew W. Kundzewicz & Adam Choryński & Janusz Olejnik & Hans J. Schellnhuber & Marek Urbaniak & Klaudia Ziemblińska, 2023. "Climate Change Science and Policy—A Guided Tour across the Space of Attitudes and Outcomes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-20, March.
    7. Grilli, Gianluca & Curtis, John, 2021. "An evaluation of public initiatives to change behaviours that affect water quality," Papers WP696, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    8. Santanu Roy & Jay Mitra, 2015. "Strategic Capabilities for Public Sector-led Innovation: Managing Knowledge Worker Deployment at and Quality Performance of Public R&D Laboratories in India," Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Emerging Economies, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, vol. 1(2), pages 181-200, July.
    9. Robert Boik, 1996. "An efficient algorithm for joint correspondence analysis," Psychometrika, Springer;The Psychometric Society, vol. 61(2), pages 255-269, June.
    10. Janina Enachescu & Maximilian Zieser & Eva Hofmann & Erich Kirchler, 2019. "Horizontal Monitoring in Austria: subjective representations by tax officials and company employees," Business Research, Springer;German Academic Association for Business Research, vol. 12(1), pages 75-94, April.
    11. Laura Studen & Victor Tiberius, 2020. "Social Media, Quo Vadis? Prospective Development and Implications," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 12(9), pages 1-22, August.
    12. Giuliana Sorce, 2022. "The “Greta Effect”: Networked Mobilization and Leader Identification Among Fridays for Future Protesters," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(2), pages 18-28.
    13. Jean-Marie Nkongolo-Bakenda, 2002. "Inter-firm Networking Propensity in Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs)," Journal of Entrepreneurial Finance, Pepperdine University, Graziadio School of Business and Management, vol. 7(1), pages 99-122, Spring.
    14. Nisbett, Nicole & Spaiser, Viktoria, 2022. "The Moral Power of Youth Climate Activists - Transforming International Climate Politics?," SocArXiv 5zsra, Center for Open Science.
    15. Claudia Riesmeyer & Arne Freya Zillich & Thorsten Naab, 2022. "Editorial: Digital Child- and Adulthood—Risks, Opportunities, and Challenges," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(1), pages 301-304.
    16. A. Busetta & A. Milito, 2010. "Socio-Demographic Vulnerability: The Condition of Italian Young People," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 97(3), pages 375-396, July.
    17. Shelley Boulianne & Sangwon Lee, 2022. "Conspiracy Beliefs, Misinformation, Social Media Platforms, and Protest Participation," Media and Communication, Cogitatio Press, vol. 10(4), pages 30-41.
    18. Madeleine Hohenhaus & Jennifer Boddy & Shannon Rutherford & Anne Roiko & Natasha Hennessey, 2023. "Engaging Young People in Climate Change Action: A Scoping Review of Sustainability Programs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-20, February.
    19. Eugene Kim & Noriko Hara, 2024. "Identifying Different Semantic Features of Public Engagement with Climate Change NGOs Using Semantic Network Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(4), pages 1-22, February.
    20. Sánchez-Chaparro, Teresa & Soler-Vicén, Miguel Ángel & Gómez-Frías, Víctor, 2022. "Be good and look good: Communicating the triple bottom line through corporate websites," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 144(C), pages 136-145.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:18:p:13917-:d:1243163. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.