University of Twente Student Theses
“Last week I was on a climate march in New York” The discrepancy between environmental concern and pro-environmental behaviour within the millennial generation
Mergelmeyer, J. (2019) “Last week I was on a climate march in New York” The discrepancy between environmental concern and pro-environmental behaviour within the millennial generation.
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| Abstract: | Abstract Objectives: The objectives of this research are to uncover the perceptions and behaviours of young millennials regarding climate change. Method: To realize these objectives 25 semi-structured individual interviews have been conducted delving deeper into the millennials’ perceptions of climate change and their pro-environmental behaviour. These interviews included 25 millennial participants from different educational backgrounds in the Netherlands. Results: The results of this research show that millennials are highly concerned about climate change. On the one hand, parts of the sample translated their environmental concern into active proenvironmental behaviour, due to the fact that they were aware of their individual contribution to climate change. On the other hand, the remaining sample hardly behaved pro-environmental, while emphasizing that their individual contribution to mitigate climate change is of little importance. Conclusions: In conclusion, the awareness of millennials regarding their individual contribution to climate change and a high degree of knowledge about sustainable action could serve as an indicator for engaging in pro-environmental behaviour. Conversely, the unawareness of causing harm to the environment and restricted knowledge about environmentally-friendly actions results in little to no proenvironmental behaviour in members of the millennial generation. Implications: Among another implication for the Dutch government, this study particularly emphasizes the urgency to engage millennials in more pro-environmental behaviour in their private space. For that purpose, information campaigns providing millennials with concrete examples of pro-environmental behaviour could make them aware of their individual contribution to climate change, which eventually could provoke them to engage in more pro-environmental behaviour. Keywords: millennial generation, climate change perceptions, pro-environmental behaviour |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 70 social sciences in general |
| Programme: | Communication Studies BSc (56615) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/78289 |
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