A new study released last month by North Carolina State University (NCSU) demonstrates that children can influence the views of their parents on climate change. The finding is particularly relevant given that globally only 54% of people believe in climate change, according to a 2016 Pew Research survey.
The NCSU study was conducted among a group of middle school students. One of the co-author’s said that the study “found that there was an increase in climate concern for both the experimental and control groups, but that the shift was much more pronounced in families where children were taught the curriculum.” The study observes that children influence their parents on a range of socio-ideological topics and therefore may be able to make similar inroads with climate change. The study also notes that the subject of intergenerational learning is understudied and that more work on how children can and do influence parents is needed.
Among the findings in the study are:
* Daughters are more influential than sons in influencing parents.
* Conservative males consistently display low concern and high skepticism around climate change.
* Changes in parents’ climate change concerns were most pronounced among the groups that are typically most resistant to climate change communication.
For more on the study: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/05/190506111428.htm