Youth voice on climate change: using factor analysis to understand the intersection of science, politics, and emotion

Abstract

A complex issue at the intersection of science, emotion, and politics, climate change is on the minds of young people across the globe, as evidenced through worldwide climate strikes. This manuscript presents an analysis of letters written by 350 young people across the US during the 2016 Presidential election season. These letters, submitted through a digital platform called “Letters to the Next President,” demanded public attention to climate change. Using mixed-methods, we identified in these letters three distinct discourses, or ways of discussing climate change: a solution-oriented discourse, a climate politics discourse, and a discourse of doom. These discourses give insight into the types of knowledge and emotions that intersect for youth about climate change, while also demonstrating the politicization of climate change for some youth in the US. We offer research and pedagogical implications, noting the need for educators to consider the politicized contexts that shape climate change learning.

Keywords:

• Climate change
• mixed methods
• youth
• politics
• writing

Acknowledgment

We are grateful to acknowledge that financial support for this study was provided by the Spencer Foundation.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Lynne Zummo

Lynne Zummo completed a doctoral program at the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University and will be an assistant professor at the College of Education at University of Utah starting July 2020. Her research examines learning of socio-scientific issues.

Emma Gargroetzi

Emma Gargroetzi is a PhD Candidate in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. Her research examines the intersection of the sociopolitical lives of young people and their academic learning through the lens of identity.

Antero Garcia

Antero Garcia is an assistant professor in the Graduate School of Education at Stanford University. His research centers the civic and literacy practices of historically marginalized youth in the U.S.