Abstract
Combating climate change and paving the way for a more sustainable future are among the greatest challenges of our time. Young people often take the lead in campaigning for climate action. The climate strikes, in which thousands of young people skipped school to demand more robust climate policy, are a striking example of this. In the wake of these actions, young people were often portrayed in the media as a homogeneous, climate-conscious group, set against older, far less climate-conscious generations. We also see this trend in research, which tends to focus primarily on climate activists or the effects of climate education. Yet there are also good reasons to expect significant social differences in climate attitudes amongst young people. Data from the Flemish Youth Research Platform (JOP), collected in 2023 (n = 904, aged 16–25), supports this assertion. In this study, we distinguish between belief in climate change (convictions) and the perception that one’s own efforts are relevant in combating climate change (perceived climate efficacy). It is striking that material deprivation and time perspectives have no effect on young people’s climate attitudes. Solidarity, education, political engagement and the transition to adulthood do, however, account for social differences in young people’s attitudes towards climate change. Young people’s attitudes towards climate change are also clearly rooted in political and ideological differences. In the conclusion, we take our findings as a starting point for a discussion on how to approach a targeted climate policy.
Keywords
jongeren, klimaatattituden, sociale verschillen, klimaatverandering
How to Cite
Pauwels, F., Horckmans, R., Spruyt, B. & Siongers, J., (2026) “Eén voor allen en allen tegen klimaatverandering? Sociale verschillen in klimaatovertuigingen en gepercipieerde klimaatdoeltreffendheid bij Vlaamse jongeren”, Tijdschrift Sociologie 7(1), 113–143. doi: https://doi.org/10.38139/ts.93175