Artwork by Katie Hohmann.
Understanding Door County’s younger generations’ opinions on the climate movement
The common perception is almost always as follows: the younger generations are increasingly concerned about the environment and see themselves as future leaders of the climate movement.
According to our survey results, that’s not necessarily the case everywhere. Out of four age groups (14-29 years, 30-49 years, 50-69 years and 70+ years), those under 30 were the least concerned about the personal impacts of the changing climate.
When asked if severe weather has an impact on their big decisions in the next 10 years, like where to live and work, 33.8% of individuals under 30 said “a great deal” or “a moderate amount.” Comparatively, 48.8% of those above 30 responded affirmatively.
The Peninsula Pulse distributed the survey between March 1-10 to learn more about different age demographics’ beliefs surrounding the changing climate and what actions they support.
In addition to including the link to the survey in the Pulse Picks daily e-letter during that time frame, we also gave the survey to Door County high school principals to distribute to their student body as a way to ensure the teen population in the county is well represented among the respondents.
Though perhaps not technically a “scientific” survey, we were thorough and careful with the questionnaire’s design, sampling, data collection and analysis.
In the end, we received 707 responses to the survey – two of which were removed for listing their age as greater than 115 years – for a final total of 705 data points. More than one-third of them, 239, came from people under the age of 18.
For instance, when asked whether they agree with the statement “Door County residents, government bodies and companies actively protect the environment,” just over half of respondents under 30, 51.6%, said they either have “no opinion” or “neither agree nor disagree,” with only 30.4% saying they “agree” or “strongly agree.”
The over-30 demographic overwhelmingly agrees with the statement, with 67% of respondents in agreement and a mere 20% responding neutrally.
The survey provided respondents with a list of policies and large-scale actions that are commonly considered to either benefit or harm the environment and asked them to indicate which they support. We sourced the list by looking at other climate surveys, like the People’s Climate Vote by the United Nations Development Programme Climate Promise.
Across age groups, respondents supported pro-climate policies significantly more than climate-damaging policies.
That being said, those under 18 supported less pro-climate policies than those over 18 years of age. The pro-climate list includes:
•Prioritizing renewable energy sources and initiatives
•Working on joint climate initiatives with other nations
•Stricter enforcement of environmental protection regulations, such as on air, water, land and for endangered species
•Reforesting, restoring and conserving land
•Teaching more about climate change in public schools
•Subsidizing or incentivizing sustainable transportation manufacturers
•Phase out fossil fuel production
•Creating community preparedness plans for weather disasters
Of the eight listed policies, individuals under 18 supported an average of 3.76 policies, where the over 18 demographic supported an average of 5.65 policies – nearly two full policies more.
More than half of the under-18 group supported land conservation, renewable energy and strict regulation enforcement. The other five policies received less than 50% support, the least supported being sustainable transportation.
•Drilling for more oil and natural gas
•Giving less aid to other nations for environmental causes
•Decrease environmental protection regulations, such as air, water, land, endangered species
•Prioritize clearing land for development and farming
•Eliminating ‘climate change’ and its concepts from public-school teaching
•Subsidizing or incentivizing traditional transportation manufacturers
•Increase subsidies on fossil fuel production
Of the seven presented, individuals under 18 supported 0.74 policies, and those over 18 supported 0.65 policies – roughly the same amount. No policy comes close to receiving majority support from respondents in any age group.
The most supported climate-damaging policy among the under-18 group is drilling and mining, with the least being increased fossil fuel production. This result is surprising given the perceived similarity of the two policies.
The only other climate-damaging policies to receive more than 10% support from those under 18 were less foreign aid and land clearing.
Finally, we want to consider the actions people take in their personal lives that can benefit the environment, intentionally or unintentionally. This list of 11 items includes actions like composting food waste or avoiding single-use products.
Respondents under 18 take an average of 3.09 of the listed actions, those over 18 take an average of 5.67 actions, over two and a half actions more. This result is perhaps the least surprising of the bunch, given that teenagers tend to have less autonomy over major decisions like transportation, shopping and even diet than most adults.
The least number of individuals in all age groups take public transportation, which also makes sense given the lack of public transportation options in Door County.
The results of this survey cannot necessarily be generalized to all of Door County – rather, they represent a cross-section of county residents and visitors who read the Pulse, alongside local high school students.
This survey does provide a glimpse into the beliefs and thought processes members of our community hold regarding the climate and environmentalism, especially across age groups.
In particular, the concern and passion regarding environmental issues that we often ascribe to younger generations is not a given or inherent.
That’s not to say the younger generation does not care at all; they still overwhelmingly support pro-climate policies over climate-damaging policies, and the vast majority, 78% of those under 18, believe that weather patterns in Door County have shifted in the last decade.
Rather, that belief in climate change may not always translate into an immediate concern for the future or desire to take charge of the issue.
发表回复