Climate Change Information and Media

Abstract

Climate change is a scientific, health, political, economic, national security, environmental, moral and religious issue, among many others. The article presents the findings of a study which investigates what messages and messengers best engage young people with climate science and its solutions. The opinions and media habits of young adults, aged 18-25 currently residing and studying in two metropolises of India, Bengaluru (Bangalore) and Chennai (Madras) vis-à-vis climate change have been elicited and interpreted. A survey of 500 randomly selected college and university students studying and residing in these two metropolises have revealed a heightened concern for the global environment and climate change issues among youth. The extent of information the respondents had on climate change issues was considerable. The respondents relied more on social media, especially blogs and networking groups for information on climate change, than the traditional mass media. Gender, economic status, course of study, and parental education were some of the important variables strongly associated with knowledge about climate change issues.