Each year, Hamilton College conducts a national phone survey to take
the pulse of American youth. This year's topic was climate change and
Hamilton economist Julio Videras found that despite an emphasis in
schools and in the media about climate change and environmental issues,
American high-school students do not understand climate change issues
well.
The average high school student believes climate change has no consequences for them in their lifetime, according to the survey.
The average high school student fails a quiz on the causes and consequences of climate change.
Conducted by Hamilton College economist Julio Videras and his students in partnership with Zogby International, the national phone survey of 900, randomly selected high school students also indicates that home life influences students' "pro-environment" behavior much more strongly than school.
And whether they rely on science class or the media for
information, students have the same level of knowledge about the issue,
says Videras.
"There's no difference in what students know about climate change regardless of where they get their information," he says. "Schools don't seem to be teaching many specifics about climate change."
In addition to a limited understanding of the science behind climate change, most students don't see themselves at risk: Only 28 percent believe it's very likely that climate change will affect them personally in their lifetimes. Despite these findings, 70 percent think the U.S. should start reducing emissions of pollutants contributing to climate change rather than wait for more evidence about the benefits of reducing greenhouse gases.
Yet only 20 percent say a candidate's position on climate change would strongly influence whether they would vote for the candidate.
"Most of the students polled aren't doing much in the way of pro-environment behavior," says Videras. "Their behavior is related more to how much they talk about it at home and among their friends, rather than whether it's taught in school."