Four
in five youths surveyed believe they can
make a difference on climate for our future
(89%); however, a majority also say they
need more information about what they can
do to tackle climate change (84%).
Those in Brazil, India,
South Africa, and the United States are
most enthusiastic about making a difference
and wanting more information in order to
do so, while those in Russia are less likely
to agree (with 77% saying they can make
a difference).
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary
General and Executive Director of UNEP comments,
"I am very pleased to note the high
level of awareness on climate change among
12 to 18-year olds. These are the voices
of the generation that will inherit the
impacts of climate change if world leaders
fail to act. It is clear from the survey
that young people around the world are seriously
worried about what climate change will mean
in terms of their future on this planet.
Through them, we can reach out to the approximately
3 billion people around the planet who are
under 25. There are some 400 days to go
before the crucial UN climate convention
meeting in Copenhagen-world leaders have
now heard the concerns of young people.
This generation must now take responsibility
for the next".
Chris Coulter, Vice-President
of GlobeScan, comments, "This is a
strong and important statement from the
world's youth to world leaders. It is strong
because the message to political leaders
and policymakers appears to be: 'Do what
it takes to tackle climate change, even
if major steps are needed, and act urgently
because we are affected and concerned by
climate change.' It is important because
young people are not always well represented
by world leaders, although their future
is to be decided in upcoming climate agreements."
Notes to editors:
The online survey of
12-18 year olds across Brazil, India, Russia,
South Africa and the United States was conducted
for UNEP and carried out by the international
polling firm GlobeScan during the month
of October 2008. The results are drawn from
a survey of 1999 young adults, ranging in
age from 12 to 18 years. In each of the
five countries, 400 young people were polled.
The margin of error is impossible to assess
in online polling, but the results can be
interpreted to be representative of the
online community of youth with good accuracy.
This is the first of
several press releases from the comprehensive
survey on the hopes and fears of youth as
they relate to climate change.
Anne-France White, Associate Information
Officer, UNEP
Nick Nuttall, UNEP Spokesperson and Head
of Media
Chris Coulter, Vice-President of GlobeScan
Incorporated
UNEP's mission is to
provide leadership and encourage partnership
in caring for the environment by inspiring,
informing, and enabling nations and peoples
to improve their quality of life without
compromising that of future generations.
UNite to combat climate change is the United
Nations campaign to support the call for
a definitive agreement on a comprehensive
global climate regime for the period after
2012, when the first commitment period of
the Kyoto Protocol expires.
GlobeScan Incorporated
is a global public opinion and stakeholder
research consultancy with offices in Toronto,
London and Washington. GlobeScan conducts
custom research and annual tracking studies
on global issues. With a research network
spanning 60+ countries, GlobeScan works
with global companies, multilateral agencies,
national governments and non-government
organizations to deliver research-based
insights for successful strategies.
Methodology
The results are drawn
from a survey of 1999 young adults, ranging
in age from 12 to 18 years olds, across
five countries for UNEP by the international
polling firm GlobeScan. The survey was conducted
online between October 13 and October 23,
2008.
While Internet panels
cannot be thoroughly representative of a
country's young adult population (the poorest
of the poor and those living in remote areas
without Web access are not included), it
is felt that the objective of measuring
young adult's attitudes could be well met
by the use of Internet research given the
relatively high access and usage rates of
the Internet of this age group in each country.
The demographic groups
surveyed in each country reflect the demographic
profile of each country and are a representative
cross-section of young adults who have access
to the Internet in their homes, workplaces,
or in libraries, cafes or schools. Data
from the online respondents were weighted
according to the latest census data to reflect
the overall demographic profile of each
country in terms of age and gender.
