A joint project of the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), Action for the Climate Emergency (ACE), and Climate Power. The full report can be accessed here. 

Summary

This study reveals the untapped potential for engaging young people in climate action and civic engagement. Around 40% of youth believe they can influence climate issues but are currently not participating in related civic activities. This presents a significant opportunity for organizations and leaders to empower these young people by providing more resources and opportunities for involvement. The study also shows that young people who feel most threatened by climate change are highly motivated to vote in the 2024 election, primarily supporting government action on climate. However, many youth lack access to the necessary civic information and organizational support that would help them take meaningful action.

The opportunity lies in bridging these gaps: by improving access to civic information, resources, and organizations, more young people can be activated to participate in climate action and broader civic activities. This is particularly true for youth who already believe in their influence but are not yet taking part in civic efforts. Engaging these groups could not only boost climate-focused civic engagement but also impact voting patterns and political participation in the 2024 election and beyond.

Study Design

This report, based on new data from CIRCLE’s nationally representative survey of young people (ages 18-34) ahead of the 2024 election, examines patterns in young people’s relationship to climate change and civic engagement. 

The CIRCLE Pre-2024 Election Youth Survey was developed by CIRCLE at Tufts University, and the polling firm Ipsos collected the data from their nationally representative panel of respondents between October 25 and November 2, 2023. The study surveyed a total of 2,017 self-reported U.S. citizens ages 18 to 34 in the United States.

Key Findings

Four Groups of Youth with Distinct Relationships to Climate Change

• The largest group—not directly affected but believe in their influence— includes 40% of youth. They believe they have the ability to have influence on this issue, are more likely to be Black, from lower income households, and younger.
• 29% of youth are threatened and want government action. They feel exposed to climate change, think it’s a threat, and strongly believe the government has an important role in addressing climate change. These youth more likely to be highly educated, urban, and LGBTQ+.
• About 1 in 6 youth are exposed but feeling powerless. They report exposure to extreme weather events, but they feel a lack of power to make a difference on climate change.
• 1 in 7 youth can be characterized as disengaged from the climate issue: they do not feel threatened by climate change and strongly disagree the government should be taking action on climate change—these youth are more likely to be White, rural, men, and straight/heterosexual.

Highlights

• There is untapped potential among the 4 in 10 youth who believe in their ability to have influence on the climate issue: Though the largest group (not directly affected but believe in their influence) feel more empowered than other groups, they are participating in civic actions (both on climate and other issues) at lower rates than other youth. This represents a clear opportunity for activation. 
• A majority of youth (56%) do not identify as strongly Republican or strongly Democratic, and many are still undecided who they will vote for: Party affiliation and vote choice for two of the groups align with each of the two major parties. (The threatened and want government action group aligns primarily with Democrats and the disengaged from the climate issue group aligns primarily with Republicans). However, many unaffiliated youth were found across all groups, and in the two remaining groups that are not strongly Republican nor strongly Democratic, many youth are still undecided who they will vote for in the 2024 presidential election.
• Youth who feel most threatened by climate change are satisfied with government action on the issue when they know about it; other youth, despite that knowledge, were not likely to be satisfied with it: Most youth who have a lot of information about the actions and policies of the U.S. federal government on climate were likely to be dissatisfied. However, among youth who feel most threatened by climate change, satisfaction was higher if they had more knowledge about government action, highlighting the opportunity to provide more education to these most at-risk young people.
• Access to civic information and civic organizations matter: Multiple groups of youth feel threatened by climate change. Those who, despite being threatened, had the highest rates of access to civic information from organizations and institutions (not just from people they know), and the highest rates of membership in civic organizations like local groups and social and political movements also reported feeling “they have the power to change things”.
• Potential to pull more youth into climate action and broader civic engagement: Not all young people who are affected by or concerned about climate change are taking action on the climate issue. But a majority of all groups of youth report wanting to engage in civic actions (on any issue) at greater rates than they are currently participating.

Party Affiliation

Although youth who do not identify with either major party are found across all groups, there were a small minority of youth identifying as Democrats in the disengaged from the climate issue group and a small minority of youth identifying as Republicans in the threatened and want government action group. Meanwhile, young people who do not affiliate with one of the two major political parties made up a plurality of those who are exposed but feeling powerless and those who are not directly affected but believe in their influence. 

Youth Threatened by Climate Change Support a Range of Government Actions

Most youth want more action and indicated support for multiple alternatives. Investing in renewable energy (53%), charging companies that pollute (46%), and providing incentives for people and businesses to implement climate solutions like home weatherization or solar panels (37%) were young people’s highest priorities.

Youth Who are Threatened and Want Government Action are the most likely to vote—and vote for a Democrat in 2024

• Young people who belong to the threatened and want government action group are the most likely to report they will vote in 2024, followed by those in the disengaged from the climate issue group.
• Among youth who are most likely to vote in 2024, the vast majority of those disengaged from the climate issue would choose the Republican candidate for president, and the vast majority of youth who are threatened and want government action would choose the Democrat.

• Among youth who are threatened and want government action, and who said they’re extremely likely to vote, the vast majority said they’d vote for a Democratic candidate in 2024, and the rest reported that they would vote Independent/third party or were undecided.
• Youth who are disengaged from the climate issue were also highly likely to report that they will vote, and the most-likely-to-vote youth in this group were very likely to select a Republican candidate. This is the only group to prefer a Republican candidate, and it makes up 1 in 6 youth who are extremely likely to vote.
• Among youth in the other groups who are extremely likely to vote, they are twice as likely to say they will support a Democratic presidential candidate than a Republican candidate, with roughly a quarter of youth in each group undecided on which party’s candidate to support in 2024.