A new national survey shows that 65% of children aged 7-14 are scared about climate change and rank temperature (59%), ice caps melting (53%) and rising sea levels (51%) as the issues of greatest concern.
Commissioned by The Eden Project working with Beano Brain, a kids insight consultancy from Beano Studios, the survey shows that 85% do not feel that adults in charge, particularly the government, are doing enough to lessen the impact that it will have on their lives and that of future generations with one 10-year-old saying: “I think adults should be more worried and doing more. Kids can’t drive and we don’t choose what to eat.”
When asked who should take responsibility for mitigating the impacts of climate change, 67% of the surveyed children felt that everyone has a part to play.
Encouragingly teachers are among the top sources of reliable information on climate change (47%), closely followed by parents (46%) and environmental charities (40%).
Adults should be more worried and doing more. Kids can’t drive and we don’t choose what to eat
Climate change ranked sixth in the issues that children are worried about, after family health, exams, and tests, bullying, relationships with friends and not having enough money.
Claire Sandercock, Head of Insight at The Eden Project, an educational charity with the mission to teach, inspire and provide hope to visitors of all ages, believes that it helps us understand how children feel about the world around them.
“It’s heartening that children, even those as young as seven, show a significant interest in the subject and a desire to make even small changes, and it’s our role to introduce, educate and reassure the next generations of the tangible differences they can make and alleviate the feelings of hopelessness.”
The results are revealed ahead of the Eden Project’s summer programme themed on Britain’s comic, Beano. The programme focuses on introducing families and children to ways of reducing their carbon footprint via site-wide adventure, stories, games, puzzles and crafts.
The programme runs from now until 24 September.
About the study: the Eden Project commissioned Generation Alpha experts – Beano Brain, the kids and family insights consultancy from Beano Studios – to survey 1,018 7-14-year-olds and their parents. The quantitative survey was carried out online with a nationally representative sample, following the MRS Code of Conduct and was combined with qualitative in-depth interviews among 11 Beano Brain’s Trendspotters*. to provide additional richness and real-life stores.
You might also like: Rising to the climate change challenge
