Student Environmental Behavior Intention and Interest in Climate Change Education Vary Across Categories using the Six Americas Short SurveY (SASSY)

Introduction: Even within communities of higher education, there is variability in the degree to which individuals believe in and engage with the issue of climate change (CC). The "Six Americas" describe segments of the U.S. population stratified according to beliefs and behaviors about global warming that may be useful to identify for targeting communication and educational efforts related to CC. A brief measure of the Six Americas may have utility for segmenting populations to better target education and behavior change efforts.

Method: 1396 students from 3 medium-sized universities in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. responded to an online survey (M= 21.75, SD = 4.98, range = 18 - 55 yrs of age; 72% women, 25.5% men, 2.5% otherwise identified). The following measures were completed: "Do you think that CC is currently happening?" (Yes, No, Not sure/Don't Know); "How certain are you about your response ....?" 0 (not at all certain) to 100 (completely certain); and the 4-item Six Americas Short SurveY (SASSY) (Chryst et al., 2018). Participants also rated their level of interest in taking a CC course, and likelihood of making environmental behavior changes on a 7-point scale [0 (not at all) - 6 (very much)].

Results: Most (92%) students agreed that CC is happening. Respondents were (sample average) 88% certain about their reported belief. Respondents were classified as Dismissive (3%), Doubtful (4%), Disengaged (2%), Cautious (16%), Concerned (35%), Alarmed (40%). Rates of "Yes" belief (and average certainty) by category were 46(80)%, 64(76)%, 62(76)%, 87(79)%, 95(89)%, & 99(94)%, respectively. Those in the Dismissive (M = .21, SD = .72) and Doubtful categories (M = .76, SD = 1.30) reported the least interest in taking a CC course compared to those in the Concerned (M = 3.04, SD = 1.73) and Alarmed (M = 4.62, SD = 1.48) categories, [ANOVA, F(5, 970) = 119.8, p < .001]. Those in the Dismissive (M = .83, SD = 1.58) and Doubtful categories (M = 1.67, SD = 1.72) reported being the least likely to change their behavior compared to those in the Concerned (M = 3.75, SD = 1.37) and Alarmed (M = 4.67, SD = 1.32) categories, [ANOVA, F(5, 972) = 86.9, p < .001].

Conclusions: The pattern of responses corresponding with Six Americas categories suggests that the SASSY may effectively identify individuals according to belief in CC, interest in taking a course, and reported likelihood of behavior change. Further research is needed to determine if these findings generalize to other populations.

Funded by NSF sub-award SA07523937 PO47027