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Examining differences in public opinion on climate change between college students in China and the USA

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  • Eric Jamelske
  • James Boulter
  • Won Jang
  • James Barrett
  • Laurie Miller
  • Wen Han

Abstract

China and the USA share the highest importance related to climate change, both in terms of their greenhouse gas emissions and their centrality to potential mitigation policies. Because college students represent the future leaders of these countries and because young adults have a longer time horizon and thus are more vulnerable to the long-term consequences of climate change, their opinions on this issue are of considerable interest. We report and interpret the results of online surveys of just over 4,000 college students from across China (n = 1670) and the USA (n = 2335) between September and November 2013. We examined perceptions and beliefs regarding the scientific basis and potential impacts of climate change as well as attitudes about policy responses. A substantially larger proportion of Chinese students reported acceptance of the considerable scientific consensus regarding anthropogenic climate change. In contrast, a smaller proportion of US students reported seeing a risk of harm to humans from climate change, while a higher proportion of US students reported being unconcerned about climate change compared to Chinese students. In terms of policy, Chinese respondents showed greater support for joining an international agreement to address climate change than Americans. Although the future of international climate change policy is uncertain, it is clear that meaningful climate change mitigation policies and actions must include the participation and cooperation of both China and the USA. Thus, the results of this study should be interesting and informative to all parties considering the issue of global climate change policy. Copyright AESS 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Eric Jamelske & James Boulter & Won Jang & James Barrett & Laurie Miller & Wen Han, 2015. "Examining differences in public opinion on climate change between college students in China and the USA," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 5(2), pages 87-98, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:5:y:2015:i:2:p:87-98
    DOI: 10.1007/s13412-015-0229-9
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Robert Brulle & Jason Carmichael & J. Jenkins, 2012. "Shifting public opinion on climate change: an empirical assessment of factors influencing concern over climate change in the U.S., 2002–2010," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 114(2), pages 169-188, September.
    2. Sandy Tolan, 2007. "Coverage of Climate Change in Chinese Media," Human Development Occasional Papers (1992-2007) HDOCPA-2007-38, Human Development Report Office (HDRO), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
    3. Fredrik Carlsson & Mitesh Kataria & Alan Krupnick & Elina Lampi & Åsa Löfgren & Ping Qin & Susie Chun & Thomas Sterner, 2012. "Paying for Mitigation: A Multiple Country Study," Land Economics, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 88(2), pages 326-340.
    4. Quirin Schiermeier, 2012. "The Kyoto Protocol: Hot air," Nature, Nature, vol. 491(7426), pages 656-658, November.
    5. Eric Jamelske & James Barrett & James Boulter, 2013. "Comparing climate change awareness, perceptions, and beliefs of college students in the United States and China," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 3(3), pages 269-278, September.
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    Cited by:

    1. Carlsson, Fredrik & Kataria, Mitesh & Krupnick, Alan & Lampi, Elina & Löfgren, Åsa & Qin, Ping & Sterner, Thomas & Yang, Xiaojun, 2021. "The climate decade: Changing attitudes on three continents," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 107(C).
    2. Matthew Winden & Eric Jamelske & Endre Tvinnereim, 2018. "A contingent valuation study comparing citizen’s willingness-to-pay for climate change Mitigation in China and the United States," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 20(2), pages 451-475, April.

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