Concern for climate change, attribution of responsibilities and effect on the voting decision of university students: the case of the UPV/EHU
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.12795/Ambitos.2023.i61.01Keywords:
climate change, communication, ecoanxiety, university students, UPV/EHUAbstract
This paper analyses the degree of concern for climate change among university students and their reaction to it, taking the student body of the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) as a case study. To this end, a structured survey was carried out with a representative sample of this university (n=465) comprising a total of 14 questions using several scales. The results indicate that university students are concerned about the climate crisis, although paradoxically, 45.4 % rarely or never seek information on the subject in the media, and 24 % experience eco‑anxiety. They unequivocally identify companies, institutions, and governments as the culprits of the problem, while attributing much less responsibility to the general public. Moreover, one of the paradoxes detected is that their concern and opinion on climate change and its culprits does not condition their political choices when voting. Finally, the study is presented as an open line of research to analyze the concern and reaction to climate change in universities in other autonomous communities, thus achieving a nationwide analysis. The study also recommends that university institutions incorporate more cross‑cutting initiatives on climate communication and education, as well as psychosocial support plans for university students to prevent and reduce climate eco‑anxiety.
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