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.

  • GiddyGap
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    6 hours ago

    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.

  • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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    7 hours ago

    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!

    • ModestMeme
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      7 hours ago

      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.

      • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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        6 hours ago

        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.

  • nkat2112@sh.itjust.works
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    9 hours ago

    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.

    • Optional@lemmy.world
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      6 hours ago

      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.

    • bassomitron@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      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.

      • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
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        7 hours 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.

        • Longing@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          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.

        • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          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.

        • Tyfud@lemmy.world
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          7 hours ago

          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.

      • knightly the Sneptaur@pawb.social
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        9 hours ago

        They won’t, there’s nobody to inspire them like Bernie, just pro-fracking, genocide-sponsoring Democrats and even worse Republicans.

        • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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          10 hours ago

          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.

          • Samvega@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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            8 hours ago

            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.

          • knightly the Sneptaur@pawb.social
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            9 hours ago

            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

          • leftytighty@slrpnk.net
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            9 hours ago

            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

        • pycorax@lemmy.world
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          9 hours ago

          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?

          • knightly the Sneptaur@pawb.social
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            6 hours ago

            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 folks.

            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, Republicans start calling you a commie socialist and Democrats kick you out of the group chat.

            • pycorax@lemmy.world
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              7 hours ago

              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?

              • knightly the Sneptaur@pawb.social
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                6 hours ago

                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.

                • pycorax@lemmy.world
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                  6 hours ago

                  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?

              • leftytighty@slrpnk.net
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                7 hours ago

                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.

                • pycorax@lemmy.world
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                  6 hours ago

                  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.

              • Optional@lemmy.world
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                6 hours ago

                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.

            • leftytighty@slrpnk.net
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              8 hours ago

              As a commie socialist I believe that’s exactly what we need to make the future suck less

    • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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      7 hours ago

      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?