Key outcomes of the study “Learning Mobility in Times of Climate Change” (LEMOCC). The study sheds light for the first time on the connection between youth, mobility and climate change from the perspective of young people. The results are ground-breaking for the future of international youth work.
Agnetha Bartels, Elisa Brahimi, Senka Karic, Florian Rück, Wolfgang Schröer
Listening to young people: Mobility for future
Key outcomes of the study “Learning Mobility in Times of Climate Change” (LEMOCC)
Research
A study by the Institute of Social and Organisational Education (ISOP) of the University of Hildesheim in cooperation with the International Youth Service of the Federal Republic of Germany (IJAB)
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Table of contents
4 Focus groups: Transnational group discussions
1 Introduction: Youth mobility for future!
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24
2 The transnational LEMOCC study on climate change and youth mobility – Study design
4.1 Discussing climate issues in the
focus groups – young people show up!
25
6
4.2 Alignment with the outcomes of the quantitative survey 4.3 Confident use of digital communication platform
2.1 Standardised online survey
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26
2.2 Transnational focus groups
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26
3 A questionnaire in seven languages: Climate change is a concern for young people, but how does this influence their mobility choices?
4.4 Climate action: a female topic?
27
4.5 Climate action: What do young people need to start taking action? 4.6 Climate-friendly (learning) mobility – what young people want
29
10
30
3.1 The participants: The sample of the quantitative LEMOCC study
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5 Summary and outlook: Potential implications for international youth mobility
3.1.1 Young women in the majority
13
32
3.1.2 Mostly well-educated young adults
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3.1.3 Varying travel experience
15
What young people demand
36
3.2 Young people take climate change seriously, but opinions differ over its causes 3.3 How are young people engaging in climate action? 3.3.1 Climate-neutral travelling – the significance varies 3.3.2 How do young people want to engage in future? 3.4 Outlook: Experience of international mobility shapes attitudes to climate change
Bibliography
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List of authors
39
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Imprint
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Introduction: Youth mobility for future!
DEUTSCH-AMERIKANISCHE ZUSAMMENARBEIT
1 Deutsch-US-Ameri- kanische Beziehung Introduction: Youth mobility for future!
Bettina Heinen-Koesters,
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Youth and mobility are two sides of the same coin. Many young people feel that travelling at a young age widens their personal and cultural horizons. It enriches their education, increases their social aspirations and strengthens their commitment to social causes. Moreover, youth travel is seen as worthy of promotion by governments and society at large: school and student exchanges, traineeships abroad, international work placements, international volunteering, social engagement and more are frequently offered to young people as a way to help them grow.
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Listening to young people: Mobility for future
Many young people worldwide travel while engaging in the fight to curb climate change. However, not all forms of travel are good for the climate. Does this require us to rethink and reframe youth mobility and to find new ways for young people to continue enjoying travel? Or have young people already adapted their travel habits, which they now believe to be climate-sensitive? “Climate-sen- sitive youth mobility” - what does that even mean? How does this impact on climate-sensitive international mobility for learning purposes? And what do young peo- ple around the world have to say about the matter? The transnational, explorative and non-representative LEMOCC 1 study examines the attitudes of young peo- ple aged 15 to 30. Respondents from seven countries – China, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Turkey and the UK – were asked to take part in the survey, which was available in seven languages. In addition, selected young people from all seven countries took part in four transnational focus group meetings to discuss the con- nection between climate change and youth mobility. The main outcomes of the study are described in this report. It emerges that on the one hand, the responses are uni- form ; on the other, they are also heterogeneous . What do we mean by uniform ? The young respondents all agree that climate change is a global challenge that requires immediate political action. So why are their responses also heterogeneous? The respondents were somewhat divided on the causes of climate change and the interdependencies of those causes. There was also some country-specific variation in the challenges the participants recognised, for instance how climate change should be managed and what issues need to be prioritised. However, the respondents repeatedly said that climate change can only be managed if we all adapt our actions and choices. So what about the connection between youth mobility and climate change? Looking at the magnitude of con- cern that young people have about how their personal choices impact on the environment, a clear correlation emerges between how worried they are and how much
personal experience they have of international mobility. In other words, recognising the connection between climate change and youth mobility is an outcome of young people’s experience of mobility, given that it allows them to experience this connection themselves. Another observation is that young women in the partici- pating countries were overrepresented both in the survey and in the focus groups. Other studies on current social and political challenges in Germany, too, have found that young women account for the majority of respondents. In the case of LEMOCC, however, they were responsible for a particularly large share of the responses. Whether young women today have a particularly strong general interest in political issues and are hence specifically concerned about social and climate change issues may be a promising area of future research.
The title of this report,
was chosen in analogy to the Fridays for Future climate initiative. The report was written in a move to encourage the international youth work community to engage in a regional, national and transnational debate with young people on sustainable youth travel and mobility and explore this important issue in greater depth. Further- more, the report is designed to aid international youth work providers in gaining a better understanding of the needs and expectations of young people when it comes to climate-sensitive mobility for learning purposes. Our thanks go to all young people, the participating organisations in the seven countries, and to the Interna- tional Youth Service of the Federal Republic of Germany (IJAB). This special transnational project would not have been possible without you. Thank you! Listening to young people: Mobility for future
1 LEMOCC stands for Learning Mobility in Times of Climate Change and is used henceforth.
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The transnational LEMOCC study on climate change and youth mobility – Study design
2 The transnational LEMOCC study on climate change and youth mobility – Study design
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Listening to young people: Mobility for future
The LEMOCC study had two parts. One was a standardised online survey aimed at young people aged 15 to 30. It was produced in seven languages (Chinese, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Turkish). The second consisted of four focus group sessions with young people from all participating countries who discussed the link between youth mobility and climate change in depth. The data from both parts of the study were analysed and written up separately. 2
2.1 Standardised online survey
The online survey was aimed at young people aged 15 to 30, particularly those with a commitment to youth mobility, and was designed to obtain an insight into young people’s thoughts on the link between mobility and climate change. Following an extensive literature review, an entirely revised questionnaire was designed for the survey. It contained questions in various dimen- sions that already featured in previous mobility-relat- ed studies (e.g., MOVE project, Access Study), including socioeconomic data on gender, background, educa-
tion and parents’ profession, along with questions on respondents’ history, experience and attitudes regard- ing travel and mobility. For instance, they were asked what types of mobility they considered fit for purpose and/or necessary in which contexts. This allowed the researchers to capture, e.g., young people’s ideas and recommendations for climate-sensitive youth mobili- ty, also in the context of international youth work. The questionnaire was designed with the following assump- tions in mind:
→ Young people’s attitudes to mobility are linked to their personal experience of mobility → Young people’s attitudes to mobility depend on the role of mobility, and the extent to which they experience mobility, in their daily lives → The use of digital tools influences young people’s travel habits → Young people’s consumer behaviour influences their attitudes to climate change and mobility → Young people’s personal attitudes to climate change shape the way they travel → Young people’s personal engagement and level of information concerning climate protection shape the way they travel → Climate (change) is a challenge for the future. Young people know they will have to rethink their behaviour.
2 The team behind the study sought approval for the study design from the Ethics Committee of Faculty 1 (Educational and Social Sciences) of the Stiftung Universität Hildesheim. The study was examined for compliance with data privacy rules by the data privacy officer of the University of Hildesheim.
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The transnational LEMOCC study on climate change and youth mobility – Study design
Upon completing the questionnaire, respondents were asked to enter any criticisms, comments or other thoughts in a comment box. Another comment box invit- ed them to share their suggestions regarding positive, climate-friendly mobility initiatives for the future. These comments are summarised in the concluding section of this report, given that they provide further support for the fundamental insights and outcomes of the study. The questionnaire was available online on the SoSci Survey platform. It was initially released in English so it could be pre-tested by the partner organisations and young people from the seven participating countries. The English version was then edited and translated into the other six languages. The translated questionnaires were subjected to another test round. 39 pre-testers left comments that were discussed and for the most part incorporated in the final version. The online questionnaire was launched on 1 July 2021. Originally planned to run for four weeks, the survey was extended by two weeks until 19 August 2021, once it became clear that the required number of young people in the partner countries (n ≥ 100 per country) would not
be reached; this was assumed to be mainly because the survey ran during the summer holidays.
Participation in the standardised online survey was voluntary. Participants accessed the survey via a non- password-protected link. The partner organisations in the participating countries had been asked to use various professional and person- al contacts in order to invite young people aged 15 to 30 to participate (snowball sampling, cf. Gabler 1992). International youth work organisations and experts in particular were requested to help identify potential respondents in the countries in question. Social media, too, were used to reach out to potential subjects. For instance, the link to the online survey was shared by local and country-wide Facebook groups and Instagram, with users able to contact youth initiatives, participation networks, youth clubs, youth centres and associations directly via private message.
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Listening to young people: Mobility for future
2.2 Transnational focus groups The focus groups served to put the results of the quan- titative survey and the resulting open questions into context with young people’s subjective feedback. Young people from all participating countries were invited to take part in this qualitative part of the study. The aim was to explore their attitudes, opinions and ideas (cf. Nentwig-Gesemann 2010, p. 259).
The focus group sessions were each chaired by two researchers and/or student assistants from the Uni- versity of Hildesheim. No personal data were collected either while preparing for or holding the sessions. The young participants’ anonymity was protected in various ways, including asking them to use an alias when log- ging into the video conferencing system Big Blue But- ton. This way, no personal data (e.g., real names) had to be shared. At the beginning of the sessions, the par- ticipants were given a brief overview of the agenda and were again informed that participation was entirely vol- untary and that they could choose to withdraw without cause at any time. A guidance document was used during the sessions. The questions in that document were chosen on the basis of the quantitative survey and discussed in advance with IJAB’s project partners (cf. Kelle/Kluge 2010, p. 30 et seq.). They were designed to give the participants an opportunity to choose what they wanted to talk about, and inspire them to discuss some particularly notewor- thy or confounding outcomes of the quantitative survey. The analysis of the focus group discussions was per- formed in connection with the content analysis. This allowed for a methodologically controlled approach focused on predetermined criteria (cf. Mayring/Gahleit- ner 2010, p. 295). The analysis centred around a set of categories resulting from the quantitative survey, which in a first step were applied deductively to the materi- al to be interpreted (discussion transcripts). During a number of interpretation rounds involving other youth and mobility researchers from outside the project, the empirical material was examined intersubjectively both in the light of these categories as well as alongside a number of other aspects that only emerged during the focus group sessions.
Four transnational focus group sessions involving a total of 22 young people took place on two consecutive Saturdays.
with as many countries of origin as possible represent- ed in each group. To ensure that no age-related implicit intragroup hierarchies would impact on the discussion (cf. ibid., p. 105), two groups were formed with young people aged 15 to 19, the other two groups with 20- to 25-year-olds. Given that the focus groups were transna- tional, their countries of origin were entirely disregard- ed; only their statements were considered. The focus group participants were chosen by the partner organisations of LEMOCC. They shared the call for par- ticipants that had been prepared by the research team via their internal and external networks. The assump- tion is that this call mostly reached young people with an interest in (international) youth mobility and climate action. Throughout the entire study phase, the team kept in mind that any opinions relating to mobility in particular that the young respondents shared may have been coloured by the Coronavirus pandemic. Current youth research has found that pandemic-related restric- tions, including travel limitations, have presented young people with a multitude of challenges (for Germany, cf. Andresen et al. 2021), which have given rise to fears and concerns for the future, for instance.
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A questionnaire in seven languages: Climate change is a concern for young people, but how does this influence their mobility choices?
3 A questionnaire in seven languages: Climate change is a concern for young people, but how does this influence their mobility choices?
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Listening to young people: Mobility for future
Below, selected outcomes of the survey are presented in four steps. First, the sample is described, giving an insight into who the participants in the online survey were (section 3.1). Section 3.2 describes young people’s attitudes to climate change. Section 3.3 discusses how young people are engaging in climate action. The summary in section 3.4 focuses on presenting the insights that emerged as particularly striking during the evaluation phase.
3.1 The participants: The sample of the quantitative LEMOCC study
A total of 1,764 young people took part in the online sur- vey. After database consolidation, the sample stood at 1,527 participants; all questionnaires had to be at least 65 % complete and have been filled in by young people indicating they were between 15 and 30 years of age. The survey could be completed in one of seven lan- guages. 50 % of respondents used the German version, 18.7 % used French and 10.2 % used Turkish. Although the questionnaires should be analysed without regard to respondents’ nationality, any specificities that emerged would be interpreted in the light of potential coun- try-specific differences. In order to balance this inten- tion with the need to respect the respondents’ anonym- ity, a minimum number of completed questionnaires was set (n ≥ 100) for each language. Since English was underrepresented, with just 38 respondents using the
English version, any questionnaires completed in English were included in the overall analysis, but not taken into account during the language-specific analysis. The questionnaire also invited participants to indi- cate their nationality in a comment box. In most cas- es respondents’ nationality corresponded with the language version they had chosen. A small number of respondents who had completed the questionnaire in Finnish, French, German or Turkish indicated a nation- ality other than the obvious. Of these groups, the group of respondents that had chosen the German version was comparatively diverse, with 13 different national- ities indicated. All respondents completing the ques- tionnaire in Chinese or Estonian indicated they were Chinese or Estonian nationals. The diversity within the
1,000 800 600 400 200 0
763
285
156
100
97
88
German
French
Turkish
Estonian
Finnish
Chinese
Language
Fig. 1 Language distribution (n = 1527)
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A questionnaire in seven languages: Climate change is a concern for young people, but how does this influence their mobility choices?
English-language respondents’ group was particularly striking: they indicated they were Romanian, German, Russian, Polish, Turkish, Chinese, Hungarian, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Spanish, Scottish, Irish, Australian or Finnish nationals (one response each). Diversity here was even greater than within the German-language respondents’ group.
The average age across respondents was 21.64 (SD ≈ 3.77), with the majority between 20 and 22 years of age (20: 11.2 %; 21: 9.9 %; 22: 10.7 %). More than 60 % of respondents were between 18 and 24 years of age. The largest age group was the 20-year-olds; the smallest was the 29-year-olds.
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11,2
10,7
9,9
10
8,4
8,3
7,7
8
7,3
6,4
6
5,0
4,7
4,5
3,7
4
3,4
3,3
3,1
2,5
2
0
15
16 17
18 19 20 21 22 23
24
25 26 27
28
29
30
Age
Fig. 2 Age distribution (n = 1527)
As for mean age across language group, most respond- ents indicated they were between 20 and 22 years of age. Only in the Estonian group was the majority of respond- ents between 15 and 18 years of age. Looking at mean age across all language groups, the Chinese group was oldest, the Estonian was youngest.
Standard deviation
Language
N
Mean
German
763
21.7235
3.49290
Finnish
97
21.4536
4.23778
Estonian
100
19.1300
3.78902
French
285
20.9719
3.72174
Turkish
156
22.4038
3.58811
Chinese
88
23.6818
3.89384
Fig. 3 Mean age
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Listening to young people: Mobility for future
3.1.1 Young women in the majority Of all respondents who indicated what gender they identified with, 23.6 % identified as male and 75.1 % identified as female. 1.3 % ticked diverse. Female-iden- tifying respondents accounted for a clear majority across language groups. Other recent studies, too, have shown that female par- ticipants account for the majority of respondents in sur- veys addressed at young people (cf. Lips et al. 2020; cf. Wilmes et al. 2020, p. 15; cf. Andresen et al. 2021). Until the 1980s, women were considered a target group that was difficult to reach through surveys (cf. Esser 1986, p. 40 et seqq.). Meanwhile, the tide seems to have turned. While the reasons for this have been much debated,
they remain unclear (cf. Porst/v. Briel 1995, p. 5). It is assumed that the cost/benefit ratio of participating in a study may play a role (cf. ibid.); it may also be the subject matter of a survey that is perceived as gender-specific, which in turn may influence someone’s motivation to participate in the first place (cf. Wilmes et al. 2020, p. 15). In contrast to these other studies, however, the number of young respondents who identified here as female (75 %) is remarkably high, a fact that deserves further reflection (see section 4.4).
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A questionnaire in seven languages: Climate change is a concern for young people, but how does this influence their mobility choices?
3.1.2 Mostly well-educated young adults
As regards level of education, the number of respond- ents with a higher-education entrance qualification is highest within the German-language group (59.6 %). The Turkish- and Chinese-language groups have the larg- est share of respondents with a bachelor’s or master’s degree (Turkish: 68.1 %; Chinese: 50.8 %). The Estonian language group includes a large proportion of young adults with a qualification from a lower secondary school or vocational college (40.0 %).
As regards the highest educational qualification of par- ticipants’ parents, the group of respondents whose parents had a university or college degree was largest acrossalllanguages,andparticularlyhighintheFinnishand Estonian language groups (Finnish: 75.0 %; Estonian: 63.8 %). In the Chinese-language group, most partici- pants had parents with a school-leaving qualification (41.9 %). This group was also prominent within the Turkish-language group (31.8 %). 3
Language
German Estonian Finnish French Turkish Chinese
Total
Lower secondary school or vocational college
1.7 % 40.0 % 23.2 % 14.3 % 0.9 % 0.0 %
87
Upper secondary school
7.2 % 21.7 % 34.1 % 1.4 % 12.1 % 5.1 %
111
University entrance qualification University (Bachelor’s/ Master’s degree)
59.6 % 10.0 % 7.3 % 36.9 % 18.1 % 42.4 %
553
28.7 % 28.3 % 35.4 % 47.0 % 68.1 % 50.8 %
457
University (PhD)
1.4 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.9 % 1.7 %
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None
1.3 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.5 % 0.0 % 0.0 %
10
Total
696
60
82
217
116
59
1,230
Fig. 4 Educational qualifications
Language
German Estonian Finnish French Turkish Chinese
Total
School-leaving qualification(s)
4.1 % 3.4 % 3.8 % 15.6 % 31.8 % 41.9 %
117
Vocational qualification 32.4 % 19.0 % 12.5 % 27.1 % 19.1 % 11.6 %
320
University or college degree
50.0 % 63.8 % 75.0 % 49.7 % 43.6 % 44.2 %
601
PhD
13.5 % 13.8 % 8.8 % 7.5 % 5.5 % 2.3 %
128
Total
676
58
80
199
110
43
1,166
Fig. 5 Parents’ educational level
3 The German version of the questionnaire omitted the option „Master’s degree“. Users of the German-language version hence were unable to select this option, meaning no data is available concerning this qualification.
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Listening to young people: Mobility for future
3.1.3 Varying travel experience Asked “Have you ever been abroad?”, 56 % of respond- ents (n = 1,458) indicated they had been abroad more than ten times. 26.3 % stated they had been abroad between three and ten times. Respondents were also asked what reasons they had had for travelling abroad the last three times. They (n = 1,468) could choose multiple options. The most fre- quent responses were holiday/tourism (74.7 %), visiting friends (22.9 %), class or school trip or exchange (21.7 %) and volunteering (15.9 %). Asked where they got the information they needed for those last three trips, again respondents (n = 1,468) could indicate multiple options. Of the 14 available options, the most frequently chosen ones were blogs/web- sites/other online information sources (54.6 %), parents (40.4 %), friends (38.7 %), travel guides/books (29.6 %) and social media (27.5 %). Asked whether their friends travel abroad (n = 1,454), the majority (53.2 %) stated “Yes, some do”, while 42.2 % said “Yes, many do”.
In regard to general travel habits (n = 1,378), most young respondents stated that they travelled a few times a year within their current country of residence (39.6 %). 22.2 % indicated they travelled inside their country of residence between once and three times a year, and 20 % stated they travelled domestically once a month. Only a small number (2.4 %) stated they never travelled.
German Estonian Finnish French Turkish Chinese
Total
Never
1.5 % 4.9 % 0.0 % 3.5 % 2.1 % 8.3 %
2.4 %
Once to three times a year
19.0 % 12.3 % 27.2 % 28.9 % 18.3 % 43.1 % 22.2 %
A few times a year
41.4 % 42.0 % 42.4 % 40.6 % 28.2 % 34.7 % 39.6 %
Once a month
23.1 % 17.3 % 21.7 % 13.7 % 23.2 % 5.6 %
20.0 %
More than once a month
15.0 % 23.5 % 8.7 % 13.3 % 28.2 % 8.3 %
15.7 %
Total
735
81
92
256
142
72
1,378/100 %
Fig. 6 Domestic travel
When it comes to international travel (n = 1,368), 65.4 % of respondents indicated they travelled abroad between once and three times a year. 17.1 % stated they never travelled abroad, and 16.1 % said they travelled internationally a few times a year.
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A questionnaire in seven languages: Climate change is a concern for young people, but how does this influence their mobility choices?
German Estonian Finnish French Turkish Chinese
Total
Never
4.0 % 9.9 % 14.1 % 21.6 % 64.5 % 58.0 % 17.1 %
Once to three times a year
74.6 % 71.6 % 79.3 % 65.1 % 18.8 % 36.2 % 65.4 %
A few times a year
19.9 % 18.5 % 6.5 % 12.5 % 12.3 % 5.8 %
16.1 %
Once a month
1.2 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.0 %
0.7 %
More than once a month
0.3 % 0.0 % 0.0 % 0.8 % 4.3 % 0.0 %
0.7 %
Total
733
81
92
255
138
69
1,368/100 %
Fig. 7 International travel
3.2 Young people take climate change seriously, but opinions differ over its causes
All young respondents agreed that climate change was highly significant. 14.7 % considered that it should be taken seriously, and 78.4 % said it should be taken very seriously. Just 0.3 % of all respondents (n = 1,333) stated that in their view, climate change should “not at all” be taken seriously. Asked about how strong they believed the link between travelling and climate change is (n = 1,367), 45.1 % stat- ed the link was strong. However, 35.3 % felt that the link was neither strong nor weak. Altogether, it emerged that 6.3 % recognised no link or a less strong link, whereas 57.8 % felt there was a strong or very strong link between travelling and climate change. Asked which causes of climate change they felt were the most important, respondents (n = 1,324) could again tick multiple boxes. The three most frequently chosen caus- es were pollutant emissions produced by travel, trans- port and production (77.5 %), ineffective political coop- eration / agreements between countries / states (70.2 %) and energy production (61.9 %).
In other words, most respondents felt that climate change should be taken very seriously and that it was due to human intervention. The responses indicate cross-language differences in terms of the most frequently chosen causes. Among the participants who completed the questionnaire in German, 83.7 % felt that pollutant emissions produced by travel, transport and production were the most sig- nificant cause of climate change. By contrast, 81.7 % of the Turkish-language and 83.3 % of the Chinese-lan- guage group chose large waste volumes as the biggest contributor. The least frequently chosen cause of cli- mate change, at 29.5 % overall, was lack of innovative climate-friendly ideas. Altogether, the responses indicate that young people feel that climate change should be taken seriously; and while their mobility choices may be critical, they are not seen as the dominant problem. Instead, they feel that the biggest causes of climate change are pollutant emissions produced by travel, transport and produc- tion as well as ineffective political cooperation/agree- ments between countries/states.
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Listening to young people: Mobility for future
In your opinion, which of the following causes of climate change are the most important ones?
German Estonian Finnish French Turkish Chinese
Total
Large waste volumes
48.6 % 33.3 % 80.3 % 73.9 % 81.7 % 83.3 % 58.9 %
Pollutant emissions produced by travel, transport and production Lack of innovative cli- mate-friendly ideas Ineffective political coopera - tion / agreements between countries / states
83.7 % 51.7 % 52.1 % 84.6 % 63.4 % 72.7 % 77.5 %
24.0 % 20.7 % 19.7 % 29.9 % 55.7 % 57.6 % 29.5 %
69.2 % 86.2 % 71.8 % 69.3 % 72.5 % 57.6 % 70.2 %
Energy production
63.7 % 66.7 % 52.1 % 61.8 % 67.9 %
34.8 % 61.9 %
Food production
65.0 % 60.9 % 36.6 % 56.0 % 49.6 % 22.7 % 57.9 %
Other
8.2 % 6.9 % 5.6 % 6.2 % 2.3 % 6.1 %
0.7 %
Total
728
87
71
241
131
66
1,324/100 %
Fig. 8 Causes of climate change Multiple answers possible
Another question was whether young people feel con- cerned about their personal impact on the environment. It emerges that the majority of respondents are indeed concerned about how their personal choices as well as the actions of others impact on the environment. Among those who completed the questionnaire in German,
Finnish or French, the majority responded with “yes”. Most of the young respondents who used the Turkish or Chinese questionnaire stated “no”. Most of the Estonian-language group stated “occasionally”.
German Estonian Finnish French Turkish Chinese
Total
72.1 % 38.0 % 80.6 % 72.3 % 37.1 % 28.6 % 64.9 %
Yes
3.5 % 22.8 % 0.0 % 4.2 % 49.7 % 40.0 % 11.1 %
No
24.4 % 39.2 % 19.4 % 23.5 % 13.3 % 31.4 % 24.0 %
Occasionally
Total
741
79
93
260
143
70
1,386/100 %
Fig. 9 Concern about personal environmental impact
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A questionnaire in seven languages: Climate change is a concern for young people, but how does this influence their mobility choices?
3.3 How are young people engaging in climate action? One question examined to what extent the young respondents engaged in climate action and how often they had participated in activities relating to climate pro- tection that were run by groups, clubs or associations (n = 1,304). 44.7 % indicated they had attended one or
more demonstrations. By contrast, 35.1 % stated they had never taken part in such an activity, but still thought it was important. Just 2.8 % of respondents stated they had never participated in such an activity and thought it was unnecessary.
How frequently have you participated in activities run by groups, clubs or associations relating to climate protection?
I have never done that, but I still think it’s important.
35.1 %
I have never done that. I think it’s unnecessary.
2.8 %
I have attended one or more demonstrations.
44.7 %
I was/am part of a group that is committed to climate protection.
17.1 %
I was/am a member of a political party that focuses on climate protection.*
3.9 %
I have participated (or still participate) in school/college/university projects relating to climate protection.
30.9 %
I was/am active on social media.
19.1 %
I have participated (or still participate) in other activities relating to climate protection.
5.9 %
Total number (n = 1,304)
Fig. 10 Activities run by groups, clubs or associations relating to climate protection * This option was not available in the Chinese-language version of the questionnaire. Multiple answers possible
It remains unclear why so many respondents feel that climate change is a serious issue and that climate action is important, although so few of them engage in group-, club- or association-run activities relating to climate pro- tection. Provocatively speaking, have we found a gap between talk and action? The young participants were also asked whether there should be a limited “air mileage account” for everyone (n = 993). Opinions were divided over this, with 50.4 % stating “Yes, we should” and 49.6 % indicating that “No, we shouldn’t”.
Asked what they would do to be more climate-friend- ly when going abroad, most respondents answered “choose a means of transport other than a plane” (75 %), “stay at a camp site, in a youth hostel or at a friend’s house instead of at a hotel” (65 %) or “travel less often, but over longer periods” (58.9 %). The least frequently cho- sen options were “make a donation to a climate protec- tion project” (22.7 %) and “pay more for climate-friendly accommodation” (26.9 %).
18
Listening to young people: Mobility for future
To be more climate-friendly when going abroad, would you …
75.0 %
… choose a means of transport other than a plane? (long-distance coach, train, …)
58.9 %
… travel less often, but over longer periods?
56.1 %
… use a bike to stay mobile while abroad?
22.7 %
… make a donation to a climate protection project?
64.3 %
… stay at a camp site, in a youth hostel or at a friend’s house instead of at a hotel?
26.9 %
… pay more for climate-friendly accommodation?
53.9 %
… choose a vegetarian diet?
36.1 %
… choose a vegan diet?
Total number (n = 1,241)
Fig. 11 More climate-friendly travel Multiple answers possible
19
A questionnaire in seven languages: Climate change is a concern for young people, but how does this influence their mobility choices?
3.3.1 Climate-neutral travelling – the significance varies Asked whether they were concerned about the energy efficiency/climate neutrality of their accommodation (n = 1,362), 44.4 % of the respondents said it was “not very important” to them, while 36.7 % stated they felt it was “relatively important”.
When travelling… I’m concerned about the energy efficiency/ climate neutrality of my accommodation
Yes, that’s very important to me.
That’s relatively important to me.
That’s not very important to me.
No, that’s not important to me at all.
11.5 %
36.7 %
44.4 %
7.4 %
n = 156
n = 500
n = 605
n = 101
Fig. 12 Accommodation Total: 1,362; n = Frequency
The young respondents were also asked whether they were concerned about the energy efficiency/climate neutrality of their means of transportation. The majority stated they were indeed concerned. Looking at the responses by language group, there were just few discrepancies between the groups.
When travelling… I’m concerned about the energy efficiency/ climate neutrality of my means of transportation
Yes, that’s very important to me.
That’s relatively important to me.
That’s not very important to me.
No, that’s not important to me at all.
37 %
44.8 %
14.8 %
3.4 %
n = 506
n = 613
n = 202
n = 46
Fig. 13 Means of transportation Total: 1,367; n = Frequency
20
Listening to young people: Mobility for future
The young participants were also asked about their attitudes to the products they bought when travelling. Again, they were able to select multiple options. Look- ing at the responses by language group, it emerged that the majority of respondents using the German-lan- guage questionnaire selected “vegan/vegetarian” as a criterion.
Among the group of participants using the Turkish or Chinese questionnaire, most stated that they only bought products that were climate-friendly (i.e., pro- duced without damaging the environment). Within the group using Chinese, Estonian, Finnish or French, a large number of respondents chose none of the available options.
3.3.2 How do young people want to engage in future? Asked whether they were interested in joining a group, club, project, association or political party that focuses on climate protection, 63.1 % of respondents answered “yes“ while 36.9 % said “no” (n = 1,198).
A follow-up question for those who answered “yes” was how they would like to get involved. The majority chose the option “participate in projects at my school/training institution / university / workplace relating to climate protection”.
If yes, how would you like to get involved? I would like to…
Frequency
Percentage
… attend demonstrations.
106
12.2 %
… join a group that focuses on climate protection.
142
16.3 %
… create a group/project that focuses on climate protection.
62
7.1 %
… join a political party that focuses on climate protection*.
77
8.9 %
… participate in projects at my school/training institute/university/ workplace relating to climate protection.
431
49.5 %
… participate in other activities relating to climate protection.
52
6.0 %
Total number
870
100 %
Fig. 14 “…how would you like to get involved?” * This option was not available in the Chinese-language version of the questionnaire.
21
A questionnaire in seven languages: Climate change is a concern for young people, but how does this influence their mobility choices?
The young respondents were also asked what climate protection means to them, with several possible options to choose from. Across all languages, a very large num- ber of participants answered “I try to be conscientious in producing less waste in order to help curb climate change”. This option was chosen particularly often by those who used the Finnish or German version of the questionnaire.
The option that was chosen least often across all language groups was “I am an active part of a group that deals with climate protection issues”.
To me, climate protection means …
German Estonian Finnish French Turkish Chinese
Total
I discuss climate protection with other people (friends, family, like-minded people). I occasionally take part in group activities (e.g. demonstrations) on climate protection. I am an active part of a group that deals with climate protection issues. I try to eat responsibly in order to help curb climate change. I try to travel responsibly in order to help curb climate change. I try to be conscientious in saving energy in order to curb climate change. I try to be conscientious in producing less waste in order to help curb climate change. In my opinion, climate protection is unnecessary.
75.3 % 71.8 % 46.2 % 72.0 % 59.8 % 47.0 % 70.1 %
46.4 % 21.2 % 18.5 % 56.0 % 26.0 % 30.3 % 42.1 %
16.4 % 16.5 % 13.8 % 20.0 % 15.0 % 18.2 % 16.9 %
87.2 % 78.8 % 63.1 % 76.9 % 31.5 % 24.2 % 74.9 %
80.1 % 74.1 % 44.6 % 79.1 % 26.8 % 43.9 % 70.6 %
81.3 % 72.9 % 73.8 % 70.2 % 66.9 % 75.8 % 76.7 %
85.8 % 80.0 % 92.3 % 72.0 % 64.6 % 81.8 % 81.0 %
0.6 % 0.0 % 1.5 % 0.9 % 0.8 % 0.0 %
0.6 %
Other
6.1 % 4.7 % 1.5 % 3.1 % 0.8 % 1.5 %
4.5 %
Total
718
85 65
225
127
66
1,286/100 %
Fig. 15 What climate protection means to respondents Multiple answers possible
22
Listening to young people: Mobility for future
3.4 Outlook: Experience of international mobility shapes attitudes to climate change
The data show that there is a connection between international travel habits – meaning respondents’ own experiences of mobility abroad – and whether or not young people are concerned about the environmental impact of their actions. By contrast, there is no correla- tion when it comes to travel inside respondents’ coun- tries of residence.
political party that focuses on climate protection, cor- relates with whether one recognises climate change as a serious problem. Finally, perceiving climate change as a serious problem also influences whether respond- ents feel everyone should have a limited “air mileage account”. It remains unclear whether, e.g., young women’s posi- tions regarding climate action differs from those of young men.
It also emerges that propensity to engage in climate action, as well as willingness to join a group, club or
23
Focus groups: Transnational group discussions
4 Focus groups: Transnational group discussions
24
Listening to young people: Mobility for future
The responses from the quantitative survey detailed above provided valuable material for de- bating certain aspects in greater depth. For instance, the researchers wanted to explore why the number of young women who responded to the survey was so high. They also wanted to look at whether there was any support for the hypothetical gap between talk and action. This phase of the study hence focused on why a large number of participants felt that climate change needed to be taken (very) seriously and that taking climate action was important, but why comparatively few of them stated that they participated in activities run by groups, clubs or associations that focus on climate protection. These preliminary impressions were first explored together with representatives of IJAB and of the project’s international partner organisations before being discussed in the subsequent focus group sessions. 4.1 Discussing climate issues in the focus groups – young people show up! It has to be said that the members of the focus groups were very enthusiastic participants. Given that it was required to get young people from as many as seven countries to appear at an international online discus- sion session on a Saturday – quite early too, depending on their time zone – the fact that the sessions happened at all is remarkable. In other words, the first conclusion drawn by the research team was that young people show up.
Of the four groups, two engaged in particularly lively dis- cussions – regardless of participants’ age – and started asking each other questions about the situation in their respective countries. The other two groups were slight- ly less animated and didn’t ask as many questions for clarification or discuss as much amongst themselves. Using English as the language of discussion was large- ly unproblematic, even though for the vast majority of participants it was not their native language. Whenev- er someone was unable to find the right term, the oth- er group members helped out, or they used an online dictionary. Some had made some notes in English in advance that they used during the discussion. However, none of the participants felt unable to engage in Eng- lish. All were more than willing to switch on their cam- eras unless there was a technical problem. Participants logged on to the Big Blue Button conferencing platform with an alias, which seemed to create a safe space for honest and respectful interaction. The young partici- pants let each other finish what they had to say, did not cut each other off and were respectful to those whose opinions differed from their own. However, this did not happen very often since they largely had the same opin- ions, attitudes and ideas.
Of the at most 28 young people expected to take part, 22 actually signed in to one of the transnational focus group sessions. The participants were keen to take the opportunity to voice their thoughts, desires and require- ments concerning climate change and mobility and, following the guided discussion, get talking amongst themselves. This enthusiasm is likely due to the fact that the groups consisted exclusively of young people with varying experiences of youth work, yet all with a shared interest in the subject, who were all recruited specifical- ly for these discussion sessions by the project’s partner organisations.
25
Focus groups: Transnational group discussions
4.2 Alignment with the outcomes of the quantitative survey
There was consensus about the significance of climate change, which corresponds to the responses of the online survey. Looking at the entries in the comment box in the questionnaire, it is clear that young people largely agree that climate change needs to be taken seriously and that it is due to human intervention. One example: “Human activity is the most significant reason for climate change”. The answers given to the questions about hands-on strategies and ideas for climate-sensitive youth mobility in both parts of the LEMOCC study (quantitative and qual- itative) reflected the fact that young people feel that the „Climate change means the change of a world as we know it“ 4
actions of each and every individual are key in this regard and that climate change requires everyone to adapt their personal choices. The participants clearly expressed that their own attitudes and choices needed to be reviewed and adapted in order to protect the climate. Like in the online survey, the focus group members spoke extensively about their fears in regard to climate change. A new term for this is eco-anxiety, meaning fears resulting from the threat posed to our planet through anthropogenic climate change. Eco-anxiety is a relative- ly recent phenomenon; the term itself has been widely used in the United States for a while, whereas in the German-speaking countries it is only catching on slowly (cf. Raile/Ricken 2021). One comment in the comment box read: “I try to make responsible choices to alleviate other people’s fear and panic.” Their familiarity with digital tools may hence be reflect a selection bias, which should be considered when plan- ning to use more digital tools in international youth work settings. There may be some inequality aspects at play here. There are a number of current Europe- an and international studies on digital inequality, some motivated by pandemic-related developments, including, e.g., Deloitte 2020, Suter et al. 2021, or vom Orde / Durner 2021. 5 It is recommended that insights from these studies be subjected to systematic analysis in the near future and applied to any future (international) youth mobility concepts.
4.3 Confident use of digital communication platform What was also remarkable is that none of the partic- ipants, regardless of age, found it difficult to use Big Blue Button and appeared comfortable interacting in this digital space. Participants had been sent a set of instructions in advance of the meeting and were also given a brief orientation by the session chairs at the beginning of the meeting; however, their ease with the tool is surely also due to the fact that the pandemic has led young people to get used to digital tools such as this one. That said, it must be pointed out that one of the prerequisites for taking part in the focus group ses- sions was stable internet access, so their ease of use is likely down to the sample chosen.
4 The statements shown in quotes that are given below are direct quotes provided during the focus group sessions. Some comments from the comment boxes of the questionnaires are also reproduced here. These are marked accordingly. 5 Assisted by a German project team, the EU Kids Online project is collecting recent empirical studies from across Europe and compiling their results in a publicly accessible database (the Europe Evidence Base). For more information, go to https://www.eukidsonline.de/studienuebersicht/
26
Listening to young people: Mobility for future
4.4 Climate action: a female topic?
The results of the quantitative study showed that a large proportion of respondents iden- tified as female. As detailed in section 3.1.1, they accounted for 75.1 % or around three quarters of all young participants. While quantitative studies frequently have a larg- er share of female respondents, the share of participants who identified as female in the LEMOCC study was comparatively even higher than in other current youth studies. This point was hence explored further in “Well, we call it mother earth – not father earth”
the focus groups, with participants asked to share their thoughts and positions about it. While the focus group discussions were qualitative in nature, contrasting with the quantitative nature of the online questionnaire, there is certainly a quantitative aspect to consider here, too, given that the number of female participants in the focus group sessions was similarly as high as in the online survey: of the 22 young people who attend- ed the sessions, 18 were read by the research team as female. There were no differences between groups or pre-set age cohorts; in all groups, those who were read as female clearly dominated. The impression that girls and young women have a greater interest in the subject at hand and in partici- pating in surveys of this kind was shared by the focus group participants themselves; they pointed out that the majority of those present were indeed female or were read as such. Furthermore, they did not question the facts and figures derived from the quantitative survey; instead, none of the groups seemed in any way confused or surprised by the fact that the number of female par- ticipants was so much higher than the number of males. The focus group participants put forward a number of
theories to explain this, based on the idea that climate change can be seen as having two dimensions: social/ societal and technical. In terms of seeing environmental issues in general and climate change in particular as a social/societal problem, the focus group participants suggested that (young) women may generally be more concerned with social issues and challenges and also are more likely to voice their concerns. Also, said the participants, climate action rarely produces a direct, measurable result or a quick win. Unlike men, they suggested, women may be more given to engagement in areas such as the climate; one stated, “I don’t know, but maybe women are more used to being engaged for things they get no immedi- ate reward for”. Another theory was that because wom- en more frequently carry responsibility for family care, they may be more exposed to the impact of climate change, e.g., when buying groceries. The participant who brought this up prefaced their remark by saying that they realised this was a form of gender attribution. In the same vein, another participant said, “Well, we call it mother earth – not father earth”.
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