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Fear emotion reduces reported mitigation behavior in adolescents subject to climate change education

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  • Xueqi Wang

    (Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Jin Chen

    (Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Abstract

Emotion has been recognized as a significant factor affecting climate engagement behavior. However, empirical experiments testing emotions influencing behavioral changes, climate change education (CCE) in particular, are rare. In this study, we conducted a 2-week CCE program with the support of video clips to induce emotions such as fear and/or hope through the manipulated treatments and were then compared between emotion plus lecture group and lecture-only group for adolescents to explore how emotions affect self-reported mitigation behavior toward climate change. The study involved 1730 students from nine middle schools in three coastal cities (Xiamen, Shenzhen, and Ningbo) in China. The results demonstrated that emotional video clips were the successful stimulus for target emotions. There was a significant improvement in both knowledge-gaining and self-reported mitigation behavior in the lecture-only group, and climate change concern and involvement mediated the effect on mitigation behavior. Compared to the lecture-only group, the hope treatment group showed decreased knowledge gain but no significant effect on self-reported mitigation behavior. In contrast, emotion significantly reduced students’ self-reported mitigation behavior in the fear treatment group, which was mostly pinpointed to the behavioral change of emission reduction activities. Thus, the study highlighted the importance of knowledge with appropriate emotions in adolescents to safeguard educational outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:climat:v:174:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1007_s10584-022-03419-7
    DOI: 10.1007/s10584-022-03419-7
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Marius BOTTIN & Ana Beatriz PIZARRO & Sara CADAVID & Luisa RAMIREZ & Sergio BARBOSA & Juan Gabriel OCAMPO-PALACIO & Benjamin QUESADA, 2023. "Worldwide effects of climate change education on the cognitions, attitudes, and behaviors of schoolchildren and their entourage. A systematic review," Working Paper 31da0f76-4d0c-4c12-9484-f, Agence française de développement.

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