Activists vs. Apathists: Understanding The Psychological Drivers Of Teenagers’ Pro-Climate Behavior

Any solution to climate change will involve behavior change — both in energy consumption and at the ballot box. Yet there is an incomplete understanding of the psychological drivers of the people who will define and be most impacted by the future of the earth’s climate: youth. This project will uncover knowledge and beliefs that drive teens towards climate activism or climate apathy. To reveal how teens are currently learning about climate change this project will analyze the topics, tone, and motivating features of common textbooks using computational text analysis. Concurrently, through large-scale survey research, it will assess the psychological factors that dictate whether teens adopt pro-climate behavior. This knowledge will inform interventions targeted at advancing public understanding of climate change to motivate future leaders.