Can an Educational Experience Shift Climate Knowledge and Policy Preferences?

• In Event: Engagement in Environmental Issues

Abstract

Why do individuals change their behaviour and preferences? What are the mechanisms that drive these changes? We examine these questions in relation to the climate crisis – an epochal event which requires dramatic change in both individual and collective behaviour. While previous research on public opinion has highlighted the various determinants of people's climate preferences and behaviour, there has been scant attention given to understanding the mechanisms of change. We address this gap by focusing on the role of pedagogical activities, deliberation, and peer influence in an experimental context, provided by the 2tonnes educational workshops organized in French Universities. These workshops involve small groups of participants engaging in simulations, prompting them to make individual and collective decisions with the shared objective of attaining an average carbon footprint of 2tonnes per person by 2050. We employ a randomized control trial, where we randomly allocate individual participation in the workshops. Using a combination of surveys (base-, mid-, and end-line) and behavioural measures, we aim to isolate the effects of this immersive educational experience on a) participants knowledge of both the individual and collective actions necessary to address the climate crisis, and b) how this knowledge updating structures participants policy preferences and environmentally friendly behaviour. Overall, our study contributes to important debates in climate politics, political behaviour, and political/behavioural psychology.

Authors

• Max Bradley, European University Institute

• Rens Chazottes

• Susanna Garside, European University Institute

• Nina Lopez Uroz

• Julian Vierlinger, European University Institute