Summary

Several short videos about the American Climate Corps (ACC), a federal green jobs program, were successful in persuading young adults about its benefits and encouraging them to recommend the ACC to others looking for a job in the climate and clean energy sector.

Study Design

A sample of 799 U.S adults 18-34 completed the study in August 2024. Participants were randomly assigned to view one of three messages about clean energy or an unrelated placebo.  All participants then rated their agreement to the following statements about the American Climate Corps program:

1. The American Climate Corps is a new initiative funded by the Inflation Reduction Act.
2. The American Climate Corps provides paid entry level jobs and training for careers in the clean energy and the climate economy like trail maintenance, youth education, and windfire management.
3. I would recommend the American Climate Corps for paid training opportunities to people looking at jobs in clean energy and climate resilience.

Key Findings

• All three videos raised awareness among young adults that the American Climate Corps is a new initiative funded by the Inflation Reduction Act with an average increase of 32%.
  • All videos had more pronounced effects for those who did not vote in the 2022 midterm election (+5-8%), women (+3-5%), and white respondents (+1-6%). 

• All three videos persuaded young adults that the American Climate Corps provides paid opportunities and specific careers within the clean energy and climate economy with an average increase of 32%.
  • There were pronounced effects for all three videos among some college education (+14-18% additional lift), moderates (+8-14%), Democrats (+7-8%), white (+2-6%) and women (+2-6%).

• All three videos persuaded young adults to recommend The American Climate Corps for paid training opportunities to people looking for jobs in clean energy and climate resilience with an average increase of 26%. 
  • There were pronounced effects for all three videos for moderates (+10-11% additional lift), those who voted for Biden in the 2020 presidential election (+4-6%), women (+2-10%) and Democrats (+1-8%).

• The American Climate Corps is relatively unknown and there is tremendous opportunity for outreach through creator marketing.
• There were consistent, pronounced effects for women, highlighting an opportunity for increasing equity in the workforce. There were pronounced effects for women for all three outcomes, up to an additional 10% lift. Women were less likely to be aware of American Climate Corps as a part of the Inflation Reduction Act at baseline (26% compared to 38% of men), less aware of the benefits like paid entry level jobs and training at baseline (44% vs. 55% of men), and less likely to recommend ACC at baseline (44% vs. 58% of men). After exposure to the treatments, women had similar or exceeded levels of knowledge and agreement to men.