How to engage China’s Gen Z on climate change

Research by Energy Foundation China has found that young people need to be shown how climate issues connect to their lives, Huang Wei writes for Dialogue Earth

A new report supported by Energy Foundation China, the NGO I work for, contains some fascinating findings on the climate attitudes of China’s 15 to 24-year-olds, or Gen Z, as they're more often known. It also offers helpful advice on how to communicate with them in a way that builds their support for climate action.

Gen Z are well aware of the central government’s “dual-carbon targets” to peak carbon emissions by 2030 and reduce them to net zero by 2060. They are interested in the job opportunities that this low-carbon transition is creating. But they lack awareness of how climate issues will affect their lives in myriad other ways.

To nurture a Gen Z person that actively participates in climate action and influences peers to do likewise, climate communicators need to speak to their life values. Climate stories should emphasise opportunities for personal growth, avoid overly negative stories, and provide hope for the future.

Gen Z are crucial movers in the low-carbon transition

“How will China’s carbon-reduction targets affect your lifestyle decisions?” I asked.

“Maybe I’ll buy an electric car someday,” a young person answered.

This exchange took place in late 2023 at a Beijing conference on young people’s participation in climate issues. The participants, mostly recent or soon-to-be university graduates who had braved the capital’s cold winter to attend, all said China’s dual-carbon targets had been a major influence on their career choices. But when I asked for other concrete changes that those targets might encourage them to make in their lives, “buying an electric car” was the most common answer. This is despite the ambitious national targets that require an?overhaul?of the energy system.

The exchange reflects the views of some members of China’s Gen Z. They approve of China having strong climate policies, but don’t know enough about what the actual impacts will be.

Gen Z generally refers to people born between 1995 and 2009. In China, they make up 19% of the population, or?267 million people. The cohort grew up with the internet and is acutely aware of how technology has progressed and driven social change. The country’s ongoing journey towards meeting the dual-carbon targets will encompass their “blooming” years. In adolescence, early adulthood and middle age, Gen Z will experience even more new technologies and products becoming mainstream, and consumption habits changing, as economic development decouples from carbon emissions. For this reason, their backing and participation are vital if global climate targets are to be achieved.

To gain lessons for communications endeavours in this area, Tsinghua University’s School of Journalism and Communications has conducted research with support from Energy Foundation (EF) China. The findings were recently published in a report, “Engaging China’s Generation Z: Research on life values and climate communication”.

What do Gen Z think about climate change and the measures being taken to tackle it? How will they cope with the changes those measures will bring? And how can climate communications resonate with their life values and concerns? We break down our findings here.

How do life values affect Gen Z’s climate stance?

The study concentrated on the 3,552 Gen Z who had taken part in a 2023?survey?of Chinese people of all ages, which had grouped all participants into six segments based on their life values. There are the "Backbone Traditionalists", who believe hard work will lead to success, and have strong trust in the government (23% of Gen Z participants). "Passionate Strivers" focus both on their careers and making positive impacts on society (18%). "Moderate Pragmatists" embrace traditional customs and virtues while rejecting rigidity and opposing stereotyping (23%). "Philosophical Observers" value autonomy and driving social progress through self-development (17%). "Easygoing Leisurists" value self discovery and seek to avoid conflicts (9%); and "Disengaged Individualists" value self expression and may be detached from political and community issues (10%).?

We need to ensure Gen Z are aware of the systemic reforms to technology, the economy, consumption and social attitudes needed

We found that the life values of these groups correlate with their awareness of climate change and their willingness to take action. The Backbone Traditionalists, Passionate Strivers and Moderate Pragmatists (totalling 64%) exhibited higher levels of awareness of climate change and a perception of its risks, and are more motivated to act. Meanwhile, the Philosophical Observers and Easygoing Leisurists (totalling 26%), showed low awareness and are less compelled to act. Similarly, the Disengaged Individualists had low awareness and sense of risk, and had reservations about climate policy.

Raising awareness still key

Gen Z are very aware of how macro-level factors such as climate policy can change how the country develops – and the available opportunities. But they lack a sense of urgency regarding acting on climate change, and do not see it as something affecting their own lives, and the research backed this up.

More respondents say climate change impacts the natural environment (93.8%) than say it impacts economic growth (83.8%). And while they express concern about climate change, they tend to see it not as urgent, but as a long-term issue to be tackled after, for example, poverty. Their understanding of climate science is also poor, with an average score of 2.69 out of 7.

Helping people see the connections between their own lives and climate issues isn’t easy. But we need Gen Z to understand the risks climate change brings, and not just that they might need to buy an electric vehicle or consider the new jobs it brings. We need to ensure they are aware of the systemic reforms to technology, the economy, consumption and social attitudes that are needed, and the impact these will have on their lives. That will help Gen Z see the connection and promote their individual participation in climate action.

There have been signs Gen Z’s awareness and life values are changing. The research found that, compared to participants aged 18 to 22, those between 23 and 27 are more rational and pragmatic, and show more critical thinking, with more Moderate Pragmatists and Philosophical Observers among their ranks. Those who have started working also demonstrate more awareness of climate risks. This shows that Gen Z’s life values can change, something climate communicators should take into account.

Positive climate narratives can spur action

Our research also found some characteristics common to all Gen Z segments. That is, dreaming of “lying flat” but also of career success.

Some think today’s youth are too focused on enjoying themselves and are unable to do hard work. We found, however, that while 58.5% of respondents agreed that there is “no point in making demanding plans, as the future is too uncertain”, 89.7% agreed that they “constantly improve [their] social skills and hope to become successful”. This apparent contradiction reflects the fact that Gen Z are generally exhausted by living in a highly competitive society, and turned off by negative information – yet they retain hopes for a better future, personal growth and opportunities.

That will affect how they act on climate change. All segments apart from the Backbone Traditionalists were more inclined to agree with language emphasising personal growth, such as job opportunities. Some, such as the Easygoing Leisurists and Disengaged Individualists, were more focused on themselves and less inclined to think they could take effective climate action. Overstressing the severity and irreversibility of the climate crisis could fail to grab their interest, or even repel them.

Accordingly, if climate communications are to speak to Gen Z, we must accommodate their desire for change and a better future. This can be done by focusing on “self-improvement” and informing Gen Z about how climate change interacts with social and personal development. The?report?has advice specific to each segment, but there are general principles. That is, climate communicators should tell more stories about the synergies between the response to climate change and technological advances, social and economic improvements, and personal development. Stories about new types of jobs created by the journey towards carbon neutrality, for instance, can spark a sense of optimism in Gen Z and encourage them to keep moving forward.

Reaching out to a new audience

Climate communicators have always faced a trio of challenges. How to reach those outside of climate circles? How to encourage public participation in climate action? And how to make those participating feel they have made an impact?

The research found some members of Gen Z are sceptical about the emissions impact of individual action. They support actions which are achievable and do not reduce quality of life, but are more reluctant to take actions involving extra costs. In contrast, many members of Gen Z, including the Backbone Traditionalists, Passionate Strivers and Moderate Pragmatists (which together represent a majority), are willing to practise what they preach on climate action and are positive about the impacts such action has. The study also found that nearly three-quarters of respondents approved of actions within their community to stop climate change, and said they would encourage others to take similar actions. This may be linked to high scores for valuing self-transcendence, communitarianism and political efficacy in these groups.

Reaching out to these “activists” may be one way to expand climate actions beyond climate circles. Strengthening links with these groups who score highly on political efficacy and self-transcendence, and perhaps even providing them with more support and choices, could turn these people into new “climate messengers”. This would mean moving their actions beyond changes in personal consumption styles, such as buying an electric car, and towards positively influencing other people.

The study also found that members of Gen Z identify strongly with their social circle and community. Accordingly, climate communicators could consider linking climate change with the social and personal issues different groups are concerned about and, by using social influence within circles and communities, reach new people and bring them on board.

This is just the beginning of research into climate-change communications and the life-values segmentation of the Chinese public. We hope it will provide new inspiration and ideas for those working in the field. As research continues, there is much scope for cohort studies, which track particular segments of the population over time, as well as designing narratives with broad appeal, and implementing and evaluating communications programmes.

This article was originally published on Dialogue Earth and has been reproduced under the Creative Commons BY NC ND licence.