School track and adolescents’ climate change attitudes

Abstract

Amid growing climate concerns, global research and policies highlight the increasing importance of climate education in schools. Schools, being a significant setting for climate education, play a vital role in shaping children’s views during their formative years. Furthermore, schools do not only provide children and adolescents with information, but also act as an empowering platform where children can learn and cultivate ways to address issues like climate change. Using panel data on Finnish adolescents (n = 1,331), this study examines how adolescents’ climate change attitudes (climate change concern and willingness to mitigate) develop across different educational trajectories. The findings indicate significant differences in climate concern and willingness to mitigate between general (academic) and vocational tracks. Recognizing schools as crucial sites for political learning, the study underscores the importance of considering educational supply and social context in designing effective programs for equal engagement with climate issues.