Post by European University Institute

🌍 EUI research reveals how climate attitudes translate into political behavior. On #WorldEnvironmentDay, we highlight 3 studies that shed light on climate education, voting behavior, and #climateactivism. 📚 1. Climate education increases policy support A field experiment with ~1,800 students shows that a short (3-hour) climate workshop increased support (+7%) for ambitious policies such as a beef tax and short-haul flight bans. This suggests education can directly shift policy preferences- not just awareness. ➡️ Study: Educational policies can strengthen climate coalitions ✏️ Authors: Max Bradley, Rens Chazottes, Susanna Garside & Nina Lopez-Uroz 🔎 https://loom.ly/XmMYvOA 🗳️ 2. The green #gender gap across Europe Using data from 36 countries over two decades, the research finds that women consistently report higher environmental concern than men. However, this concern does not always translate into votes for green parties, especially where strong, credible green political options are missing. ➡️ Study: The Green Gender Gap: Environmental Attitudes and Pro-environmental Vote Choice across Europe ✏️ Author: Ingvild Zinober 🔎 https://loom.ly/WP3Ym6U ✊ 3. Climate protests and public opinion Based on surveys and experiments in Germany (including reactions to #FridaysforFuture and #LastGeneration protests), the study finds that confrontational tactics may reduce empathy toward climate movements among some groups. However, overall support for climate policies remains largely unaffected. ➡️ Study: How Confrontational Protest Shapes Public Opinion: Experimental Evidence from Climate Mobilization ✏️ Author: Daniel Saldivia Gonzatti, Lennart Schürmann, @Sophia Hunger & Swen Hutter   🔎 https://loom.ly/rGHaGtE 💡 Key takeaway: Climate attitudes are shaped not only by awareness, but by education systems, political context, and the availability of viable policy alternatives-and activism style does not necessarily reduce support for climate policy itself. #EUGreenWeek