Only 19% of Spanish young people feel able to identify the climatic bulos with great security, according to a study prepared by Fundación Naturgy and the Reina Sofía de Fad Juventud center. The study, entitled ‘Environment and misinformation. Youth perceptions about energy and sustainability ‘, provides a detailed analysis of knowledge and misinformation around the environment that the young population in Spain has between 15 and 29 years.
The analysis has been carried out from the completion of surveys and monitoring in social networks. One of its main conclusions is that 45% of youth in Spain say they have been exposed in the last year to bulles on sustainability and climate change.
The environmental bulos that arrive in young people adopt diverse forms, from false alerts about the danger of electric cars to theories about the “15 -minute cities designed to control the population” or, among others, the conspiracy theories about the “Chemtrails” (aircraft that release chemical substances that manipulate the climate through chemical or biological agents).
These narratives, although unfounded, extend easily and contribute to sow doubts about policies and advances in climate matter. In fact, 40% of youth believes that bulos on sustainability are more frequent than those of other areas.
Youth is no stranger to this phenomenon and, although 51% claim that they try to verify the veracity of the information when doubt its credibility, data overload and the speed with which the bulles circulate hinder the ability to discern what is real and what not.
Social networks Information and misinformation vehicle
Social networks have established themselves as the main environmental information channel for youth: 53% resort to them to know news about sustainability, followed by television (51%). However, this prominence also makes them the main disinformation channel. More than half of young people (54%) consider that social networks are the space where more bulles circulate on sustainability.
The study analyzes the knowledge, misinformation and commitment of the population, between 15 and 19 years in Spain, in the field of sustainability, environment and energy.
Through an approach composed of documentary review, online listening and surveys, this unpublished report allows identifying the main foci of misinformation, as well as dimensioning attitudes, perception and permeability of false information about the climatic emergency in the youth imaginary.
The results and analysis will offer the necessary tools to prepare diagnoses for the design of prevention programs, as well as sensitization, with the aim of implementing public policies capable of mitigating this bias
The vast majority of young people believe in climate change (83%), but their positions against this reality are diverse. Although only 5% denies it completely, there are other positions that think that the phenomenon is not due to human action and is an inevitable natural process, which can stop climate action.
Environmental education, key to combating misinformation
Access to reliable information about the environment remains a pending subject in the educational system. 46% of youth consider that they received few environmental content during their school stage.
However, not all young people have the same level of knowledge about sustainability. In general, as age increases, knowledge also increases regarding the environmental. 28% of those who are between 16 and 20 have low knowledge in sustainability and energy, while in the group of 26 to 29 years this percentage is reduced to 14%.
This difference suggests that environmental education remains insufficient in the early training stages and that, although knowledge increases with academic age and experience, it is not achieving an immediate impact.
In a context where misinformation has become an obstacle to climate action, reviewing how sustainability and fighting against bulles are taught in the educational system is fundamental. If young people have truthful information and tools to contrast it, they will be better prepared to act in favor of the planet.