Weij, Luna van der (2022) Raise Your Voice, Not the Sea Level: Motivations of Dutch Young Adults to Participate in Climate Activism. Master thesis.
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Abstract
This research aims to identify the motivations of Dutch young adults (ages 18 until 29) to join climate activism groups that are active in the context of transformative climate adaptation. This was done through a mixed-method approach using semi-structured interviews, a newspaper analysis and an academic literature review. The results show that there are relevant intrinsic and extrinsic motivations. The most important intrinsic motivations are knowledge of climate change, values and emotions. Furthermore, the key extrinsic motivations are the frame of reference and social norms. Another crucial aspect of joining a climate activism group is having shared values and beliefs with that specific group. Although it became clear that a perfect match is not mandatory, participants often had some doubts or concerns about specific tactics or strategies of the group they were engaged with. The thesis contains some recommendations, focusing on education, communication and framing climate change by emphasizing certain values. Furthermore, creating a larger variety of climate activism groups with different strategies and tactics can attract more young adults to participate in climate activism. However, though this generation will face the impacts of climate change, it has to be kept in mind that the burden of the climate crisis should not solely be put on this generation. Therefore, a focus on positivity and potential for change is important. For future research, it is suggested that the motivations of young adults that do not participate in climate activism are further investigated. This will provide insights into the specific differences between active and non-active young adults.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
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| Degree programme: | Society, Sustainability and Planning (MSc Socio-spatial Planning) |
| Supervisor: | Horlings, L.G. |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jan 2022 10:49 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Jan 2022 10:49 |
| URI: | https://frw.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3751 |
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