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Motivating Action through Fostering Climate Change Hope and Concern and Avoiding Despair among Adolescents

Author

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  • Kathryn Stevenson

    (Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Biology Program, Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

  • Nils Peterson

    (Fisheries, Wildlife & Conservation Biology Program, Department of Forestry & Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
    These authors contributed equally to this work.)

Abstract

Efforts to build climate change concern seem warranted to overcome apathy and promote action. However, research suggests that these efforts can backfire by breeding despair, denial and inaction. This may be especially true among younger audiences, as despair is highest among those who view climate challenges as out of their control, and children generally have lower perceived and actual control than adults in political and personal arenas. Though many studies have documented feelings of despair and sadness among younger audiences, few have explored how climate change hope may counteract despair and encourage productive responses to climate change concern. This study examined how climate change hope, despair, and concern predict pro-environmental behavior with a quantitative survey of a random sample of middle school students in North Carolina, USA (n = 1486). We did not find an interaction between climate change hope and concern or despair, but instead found climate change hope and concern independently and positively related to behavior and despair negatively related to behavior. These results suggest that climate change concern among K-12 audiences may be an important antecedent to behavior which does not dampen the positive impacts of hope. Further, rather than mitigating the negative effects of climate change despair, hope may be an independent predecessor to behavior. Students at Title I (a measure of low socioeconomic status) schools were less likely to engage in pro-environmental behaviors, suggesting climate literacy efforts should target schools with lower levels of socioeconomic status specifically.

Suggested Citation

  • Kathryn Stevenson & Nils Peterson, 2015. "Motivating Action through Fostering Climate Change Hope and Concern and Avoiding Despair among Adolescents," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-10, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2015:i:1:p:6-:d:61120
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Kathryn Stevenson & M. Peterson & Howard Bondell & Susan Moore & Sarah Carrier, 2014. "Overcoming skepticism with education: interacting influences of worldview and climate change knowledge on perceived climate change risk among adolescents," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 126(3), pages 293-304, October.
    2. Adam Corner, 2012. "Science literacy and climate views," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 2(10), pages 710-711, October.
    3. Maria Ojala, 2013. "Coping with Climate Change among Adolescents: Implications for Subjective Well-Being and Environmental Engagement," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 5(5), pages 1-19, May.
    4. Christina Tobler & Vivianne Visschers & Michael Siegrist, 2012. "Consumers’ knowledge about climate change," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 189-209, September.
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    6. Paul C. Stern, 2012. "Fear and hope in climate messages," Nature Climate Change, Nature, vol. 2(8), pages 572-573, August.
    7. Ali Siddiq Alhakami & Paul Slovic, 1994. "A Psychological Study of the Inverse Relationship Between Perceived Risk and Perceived Benefit," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 14(6), pages 1085-1096, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. Xueqi Wang & Jin Chen, 2022. "Fear emotion reduces reported mitigation behavior in adolescents subject to climate change education," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 174(1), pages 1-16, September.
    2. Kathryn T. Stevenson & M. Nils Peterson & Howard D. Bondell, 2018. "Developing a model of climate change behavior among adolescents," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 151(3), pages 589-603, December.
    3. Karel Nepraš & Tereza Strejčková & Roman Kroufek, 2022. "Climate Change Education in Primary and Lower Secondary Education: Systematic Review Results," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(22), pages 1-20, November.
    4. Carlie D. Trott, 2021. "Youth-Led Climate Change Action: Multi-Level Effects on Children, Families, and Communities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(22), pages 1-20, November.

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