Survey of young people aged 16-25 from all US states shows concerns across political spectrum
The overwhelming majority of young Americans worry about the climate crisis, and more than half say their concerns about the environment will affect where they decide to live and whether to have children, new research finds.
The study comes just weeks after back-to-back hurricanes, Helene and Milton, pummeled the south-eastern US. Flooding from Helene caused more than 600 miles of destruction, from Florida’s west coast to the mountains of North Carolina, while Milton raked across the Florida peninsula less than two weeks later.
“One of the most striking findings of the survey was that this was across the political spectrum,” said the lead author, Eric Lewandowski, a clinical psychologist and associate professor at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. “There was no state sample where the endorsement of climate anxiety came in less than 75%.”
The study was published in the Lancet Planetary Health, and follows a 2021 study covering 10 countries. Both the previous and current study were paid for by Avaaz, an advocacy group.
This is why we gotta ban TikTok!!! \s
Then you lil fuckers need to get out and vote.
It’s always amazed me that young voters tend to be the most unreliable voting bloc. I was a young, early-20s idealist, and I made sure to go out and vote. Hopefully they step it up this November.
I’m always amazed that old people think voting is going to solve the climate catastrophe.
If you get a large enough majority? Hell yeah it will.
Have them all demand to raise taxes on oil company profits to 90% to fund renewables, it’ll be just like when we broke big tobacco.
You understand that with a super-majority in congress, we get to make the rules, right? Companies can only do what is legal in the countries they operate in.
If we decide to take 90% of the money from fossil fuel companies and divert them to clean energy, reduce our DOD spending by 50% and funnel it into scientific research, NASA, etc. then we have a shot.
We are the people, and the government is intended to be a reflection of that. Not the gerrymandered, voter suppressed state it’s in today.
They won’t, there’s nobody to inspire them like Bernie, just pro-fracking Democrats and even worse Republicans.
Or even worse, people like you who do everything they can to disparage the only party that might possibly do something good…
You think you’re being sly, but it’s just cringe.
Or even worse, people like you who do everything they can to disparage the only party that might possibly do something good…
“The problem isn’t with the politicians and their policies, it’s with people disparaging them.”
In my 42 year being alive, has social mobility improved? Is the education system allowing more young people to succeed? Have we made strong inroads into ensuring all young people have food and a place to live?
If no, then maybe the problem is not with people being disparaging.
If talking about Democrat policies is disparaging to the party then I don’t know how I’m supposed to explain why the young folks aren’t excited to vote without disparaging the party. XD
Oh look another person pretending not to understand the difference between good faith and bad faith discussion (while clearly and knowingly participating in the latter).
Why would you tell on yourself like this?
Choosing between shit and a shit sandwich, it’s fine to point out one has carbs but it’s dishonest to pretend you’re excited to eat a shit sandwich
Yeah that’s not what’s happening here…
Then either you think that young people will be turning out in droves this election or that some other reason is why they aren’t excited to vote.
And that’s the problem. Why do they need someone to inspire them when they should also be interested and invested in their own future? Can’t say the same thing is happening in my country, generally even the most politically apathetic person at this age range (me included) understands the importance of it but somehow this seems like a wild idea in the US?
And that’s the problem.
I agree, it’s a very serious problem that the Democrats continue to push policy that is unpopular with young folls.
Why do they need someone to inspire them
Because elections are popularity contests.
they should also be interested and invested in their own future
They very clearly are, but there aren’t any American political parties that are invested in their future. Just ones that pretend to cater to them while selling them out to the oil and weapons industries.
somehow this seems like a wild idea in the US?
Yeah, it sucks. Any time you start talking about making the future suck less, people start calling you a commie socialist.
As a commie socialist I believe that’s exactly what we need to make the future suck less
That seems very defeatist though? I mean I get where you’re coming from in that ideally we’d have options which align more with what we want to move towards progress but realistically that’s not something that’s entirely possible right now.
Right now, there’s an option that pushes progress further back and the other one that seems somewhat neutral by comparison (unfortunately). In that case, wouldn’t picking the lesser evil be better than simply standing by and doing nothing?
Let’s look at the topic of this thread. Is Harris neutral? She’s walked back her stance on being against fracking.
The options are “a lot worse” or “less worse.” And those are the options every four years. Voting is ineffective, and Democrats are just as bad as Republicans when it comes to making villains out of climate protestors.
Yes harm reduction is important and I think young people should vote Democrat. But Democrats have done nothing to earn it.
Yea I definitely agree with you entirely and I don’t think what I said is in anyway counter to what I said. I do wish that’s what people in general keep in mind when choosing what to vote or even voting at all.
It’s not defeatism, it’s political realism based on an understanding that the USA is not and has never been a democracy. The only two parties that matter get to pick their constituencies and they cannot fail, they can only be failed by the usual electoral scapegoats.
And in any case, the DNC knows they’re winning this election so why should they risk alienating their corporate and billionaire donors by appealing to the idealism of the youth?
Also, I don’t believe in lesser-evilism. If a party can’t pass an anti-genocide bar that’s so low as to be subterranean, then they aren’t getting my vote.
While I agree with you in the ideal scenario, wouldn’t the end result of not voting for the lesser evil lead to the outcome where the greater evil wins anyways? In that case, realistically, wouldn’t a lack of a vote be practically equivalent to a vote for the greater evil?
I’m not American and so I have no idea how things on the ground are like but it does seem that the people who support the republicans seem to be a lot more passionate in voting for their end?
Forget it, you’re talking to a brick wall.
Let them get some life experience and maybe in 15-20 years it’ll be a productive conversation.
I lost my faith in the American political system over 20 years ago…
I think there are voter suppression efforts that target youth. Plus they’re likely struggling to get by and may feel like they can’t spend hours/all day voting.
There’s also a huge amount of political cynicism. It’s easier to just think that there can be no change, and that my one vote doesn’t matter, and that all politicians are evil. I saw this way too much during my college days.
It’s true, though. America is not and has never been a Democracy, the only votes that matter are thosr cast in swing counties in a few states.
No. No. Absolutely not no. I don’t care if youre a Democrat in the middle of rural Kansas. Get the fuck out there and vote. This kind of defeatist shit is exactly what lets those locked in areas get away with it. A revolution has to have attendees. Show up. Vote. Even if you feel like you’re voting alone, you’re not.
Y’all seem to misunderstand, Harris already won the election months ago when Biden dropped out. It isn’t defeatism to resign myself to another four years of trying to convince the Democrats to maybe stop helping boil the planet and blow up foreign kids.
As far as I’m concerned she hasn’t won until she’s sworn in. And that’s the approach people need to take. I agree with convincing Democrats to get their shit together, but this thought train of “I’m not even gonna vote, it’s already won/it doesn’t matter” is exactly the kind of shit that gets us in trouble. Get out there and vote. It’s your fucking responsibility as a citizen of this country. Do it.
In my state (CA) everyone gets a mail in ballot by default. I wonder what the rates are here? I bet not great.
Cornel West 2024!
Surprised there’s so many Stein folks ITT to downvote you. Since there’s no other major candidate that will do dick for the climate
We need to suspend Medicare for 10 years, let things sort themselves out.
They do hate socialism after all, “keep the government out of my medicare!” and all that?
“fuck them kids”
-boomers
“fuck them kids”
- P. Diddy
I truly feel really bad for this younger generation. I think this is in the global consciousness of our youth worldwide and I regret that they are inheriting a poisoned world. As if slave wages weren’t enough reason alone to not have any children.
I am truly sorry for my part in this.
This was us 40 years ago. We’ve been here this whole time, complaining about destroying the earth, getting laughed at by people in power.
And now that the real fight - with billionaires and corporations - is coming into view, it’s in the collapse stages when it almost doesn’t matter. Almost.
Of course it always matters, it’s just we’re going to have a lot of suffering that was very, very preventable.
Duh. This is why so many people won’t vote for Harris or Trump
And overwhelming majority of Boomers don’t care, but that hurricane insurance check better be on time or so help them they will go full metal Karen!
I see a lot of complaints about boomers but I never see a strategy from younger people about what they themselves are planning/doing to make the world a better place.
When I was in my teens and 20’s I heard the same complaints about how older people left us a ruined world. And then everyone proceeded to do exactly Jack shit about it, myself included.
But at least I voted, every election, every time.
I always try and take advantage of double sided printing when it is available. And my partner and I both drive reasonable vehicles and not oversized gas guzzlers.
As far as addressing the boomer problem, I’ve been just waiting for them to age out as the ones I know don’t respond well to logical or rational arguments. The boomers I know that are supporting Trump lack critical thinking skills and struggle with abstract thinking. This has made them easy prey for conservative media that for one seeks to short circuit any higher order thinking by triggering fear responses in their viewers.
If I had three wishes, I’d use one to try and fix this problem by massively expanding our education system. We are saddled with an antiquated system designed for a time when factory workers were needed and scheduling had to be done around farm labor availability. So I live in a progressive city and our state is finally doing free school meals. How insane that in 2024 there’s a need for free meals in a rather rich country and also a good chunk of our population are opposed to giving out free food.
You are being willfully ignorant then
Willfully ignorant of what?
That’s funny, I didn’t.
I was young X, and we were brutally bulled and abused by Boomers.
The problem is: The boomers were idiots, they never had to learn anything, things were simple, the economy was good, why would they have to think, their parents gave them everything on a silver platter.
The GG were awesome btw, learning from them was like learning from wise elders, especially in engineering. The problem was Boomers didn’t understand anything but were so overconfident that they actually knew everything, and when you tried to explain to them where they were wrong they considered it an attack and again went full metal Karen.
Lol voted? Why?
The first election i could vote in was reagan vs mondale. what a joke. And then bush vs dukakkis, fucking who cares. And then the obviously full of shit lying clinton. And dole and his diapers. And nepo baby moron bush junior vs tipper gore trying to ban heavy metal’s husband? Clowns. That was a genx voting life early on.
I didnt start taking politics seriously really until after 9/11 and watching the whole country go fascist. United we stand my ass. Started voting, campaigning, volunteering then.
I wonder how many will vote for conservative candidates who do not care about the climate crisis or choose not to vote. My guess is quite a few. Unfortunately.
What? Do you realize how terrible voter turnout is in the US?
How much do you want to bet it would double if there was a candidate at the debates who was serious about stopping carbon burning?
There is one candidate who is a lot more serious than the other. Maybe not serious enough, but still more serious.
Do you mean Stein or West?
Obviously Vermin Supreme
It’s a shame that the next generation of capitalist nepos are raised aware that their family hoard is fed by burning the world, and that same hoard insulates them from climate change induced mass famine\drought\etc.
The people that make the important decisions and own both of our parties don’t lose sleep over their avarice, and impress that dynastically.
We need to reign in our owner class, or no amount of begging will help. They know what they’re doing, and know they can protect and insulate themselves and theirs by convincing you to consume more than you need with propaganda and regulatory capture.
Too bad we have tariffs on the products needed to fight climate change… I’m just pissed off that they make going green more expensive. Both parties support these tariffs as if we can suddenly become competitive. Who cares who makes this stuff we can’t let perfect be the enemy of good
Yeah, it’s like they think buying solar panels from overseas is the same as importing oil from overseas. When China is selling real “energy independence” from for less than you could make it yourself.
