How many young generations are there? – A typology of teenagers’ climate change awareness in Germany and Austria

Figures & data

Table 1. Items used in the study.

	M	SD	SR
Attitude: Interest, Responsibility, Locus of Control (item 1: 1 = very uninterested, 6 = very interested; items 2-5: 1 = I totally disagree, 6 = I totally agree)			0.70
1. How interested are you in the topic “climate change”?	4.09	1.21
2. It is my responsibility to act in a climate-friendly manner.	4.92	1.28
3. I am able to contribute to reducing the degree of climate change.	4.60	1.30
4. If the international community cooperates, global warming can be limited to + 2–4 °C.	4.75	1.36
5. I would like to reduce my carbon emissions.	4.59	1.42
Personal Concern In your opinion, to what extent are the following areas affected by climate change? (all items: 1 = not affected at all, 6 = very affected)			0.92
1. …my life	3.23	1.40
2. …the life of my family	3.19	1.41
3. …the life of people living in Europe	3.84	1.30
Knowledge about causes and effects of climate change In your opinion, are the following statements right or wrong? (all items: mean correct score 1 = wrong answer, 6 = right answer)			0.62
1. Due to climate change, temperature will rise in all areas in the world an equal amount.	3.48	1.93
2. The melting of the glaciers will stop immediately if worldwide CO2-emissions come to a halt.	4.23	1.96
3. Winter tourism in the Alps is not affected by climate change thanks to the use of snow guns.	4.32	1.89
4. Climate change is mainly human induced.	4.92	1.45
Multiplicative Action How often do the following statements apply to you? (all items: 1 = never, 6 = always )			0.83
1. I discuss climate change with my friends.	2.35	1.42
2. I discuss climate change with my family.	2.95	1.53
3. I try to influence my friends to act in a climate-friendly manner.	2.51	1.44
4. I try to influence my family to act in a climate-friendly manner.	2.94	1.60
Climate-friendly Behavior How often do the following statements apply to you? (all items: 1 = never, 6 = always)			0.79
1. I turn down the heating when I am not at home.	4.09	1.86
2. I try to repair things before I buy something new.	4.46	1.47
3. Before I buy something, I carefully consider whether I need it or not.	4.15	1.52
4. I prefer to buy things with little packaging.	3.50	1.45
5. I turn off electrical devices when I do not need them.	4.51	1.52
6. While taking a shower I do not run the water unnecessarily.	4.81	1.47
7. I separate waste to promote the sustainable reuse of material resources.	4.81	1.42
8. I turn off lights when I do not need them.	5.11	1.26

M = Mean; SD = Standard Deviation; SR = Scale Reliability measured by Cronbach’s alpha N = 766.

Figure 1. Proportion of the teenagers surveyed in the four groups.

Table 2. The four clusters and their characteristics in the five different dimensions.

	The Paralyzed	The Charitables	The Disengaged	The Concerned Activists
N (% of the Sample)	103 (14%)	305 (40%)	194 (25%)	158 (21%)
Attitude: Interest, Responsibility, Locus of Control	−0.30	0.11	−0.42	0.51
Personal Concern	0.84	−0.24	−0.88	1.00
Multiplicative Actions	−0.65	0.21	−0.56	0.71
Climate-friendly Behavior	−0.44	0.20	−0.32	0.31
Knowledge	−0.05	0.21	−0.36	0.07

N = 760, the lowest and highest scores per scale above are highlighted in bold.