A Relational Approach to Shifting Gen Z and Millennial Environmental Beliefs
Abstract
While survey data identifies that most Gen Z and Millennials are anxious about climate change, are supportive of climate activists, and agree that climate change is anthropogenic, that same data fails to nuance these generations' intersectional and relational environmental beliefs. The problem is both methodological and rhetorical, because assumptions built into closed-question public opinion surveys can fail to match younger generations' perceptions on the environment. Additional research methods concerned with capturing these relations, including the cognitive interviews that survey designers already employ, could illuminate these environmental perspectives. We see models for this approach in the preliminary interviews used in large-scale surveys, in the field of climate psychology, and in arguments for ecological rhetoric in communication studies. Building from these fields, we provide example questions that are emblematic of these relational environmental and argue for increasing numbers of smaller, qualitative studies which investigate the many relations that younger generations already experience.
- Journal
- Poroi
- Published
- 2024-12-11
- DOI
- 10.17077/2151-2957.31088
- CompPile
- Open Access
- OA PDF Gold
- Topics
-
- Export
- BibTeX RIS
Citation context
Cited by in this index (0)
No articles in this index cite this work.
References (0)
No references on file for this article.
Related articles
-
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Mar 2026Miriam F. Williams
-
Rhetorica Sep 2025Brent Nelson
-
Rhetorica Jun 2024Christoph Schwameis
-
Rhetoric & Public Affairs Mar 2024Jaclyn Bruner
-
Rhetorica Jan 2024Mind the Audience: Forensic Rhetoric, Persuasion, and Identification by Reference to the Social Identity of Athenian dikastai ↗Vasileios Adamidis