{"id":79784,"date":"2023-08-01T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-08-01T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/young-people-and-the-environment-between-fatalism-and-misinformation\/"},"modified":"2023-09-19T09:25:45","modified_gmt":"2023-09-19T07:25:45","slug":"les-jeunes-et-lenvironnement-entre-fatalisme-et-mal-information","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.futuribles.com\/en\/les-jeunes-et-lenvironnement-entre-fatalisme-et-mal-information\/","title":{"rendered":"Young People and the Environment: Between Fatalism and Misinformation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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How do young people in France perceive environmental issues, and to what extent are their concerns reflected in their behaviour? As with any approach based on generational differences, this question needs to be addressed carefully to avoid resorting to stereotypes. <\/h6>\n\n\n\n

A number of recently published surveys highlight the discrepancy between young people\u2019s strong awareness of environmental degradation and their behaviours, which continue to be largely geared towards hyper-consumption. This discrepancy can be explained by three main factors: the fatalism of the younger generation with regard to environmental issues, the existence of other concerns, and their lack of information about the behavioural changes they could make.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young people in France are aware of environmental issues, but are particularly fatalistic\n<\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n
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According to a survey carried out in 2023 by the French Agency for Ecological Transition<\/a> (ADEME), almost 80% of 15-25 year-olds say they attach more importance to environmental issues than those around them do. The majority believe that \u201cthe world is in a bad way\u201d, marked as it is by a succession of endless crises with no prospect of improvement. They attribute this situation to over-consumption and over-production, but also to the greedy and selfish nature of human beings. As a result, a majority of the young people questioned feel that \u201cit is already too late to limit climate change before it has devastating effects, or consider that they have no say in the fight against climate change\u201d. Three-quarters of young people also believe that their parents\u2019 generation is responsible for the current situation.<\/p>\n

According to another survey conducted by Ifop for the Fondation de<\/a> France, half of 18-25 year-olds say they are worried about future generations, almost a third feel that \u201cit\u2019s too late, there\u2019s nothing we can do\u201d, and almost a quarter \u201cdon\u2019t feel they can take effective action\u201d. This expectation of a very bleak future is frequently expressed by young people in France: for example, in a survey carried out in 2021<\/a>, three-quarters of the young people questioned considered the future to be \u201cfrightening\u201d because of global warming.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n

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\n Voir aussi<\/span>\n
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\n \n \"\"<\/a>\n <\/span>\n \n D\u00e9tresse de la jeunesse face \u00e0 l\u2019inaction climatique<\/a>\n \n \n \n <\/use>\n<\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/span>\n
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21 October 2021<\/div>\n DEBRUYNE St\u00e9phanie<\/a>\n
\n 3 min.\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \n <\/use>\n<\/svg>\n\n Note de veille\n <\/a>\n Environnement<\/a>\n Soci\u00e9t\u00e9<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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According to another survey conducted by Opsio and the platform Backmarket<\/a> among school students in Paris, this fatalism can lead some young people to turn their backs on environmental issues altogether. The reasons given for this include (again) the feeling that \u201cit\u2019s already too late\u201d, but also a perception that \u201cit makes life too complicated\u201d, and the idea that they will not be able to change things by acting on their own small scale.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n Young people in France feel powerless and disengaged with regard to environmental issues\n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

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Source:<\/em> Opsio survey for Backmarket.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n\n\n\n

Practices are evolving slowly, under the influence of other motivations and constraints<\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n
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As might be expected, this fatalism on the part of the younger generation is not a powerful lever for making them adopt more environmentally responsible behaviours. In fact, on the whole, the environmental concerns of young people in France do not lead them to take action. Although this gap between perception and action can also be observed in other age groups, it seems to be more marked among young people.
\nIn the ADEME survey, two-thirds of 15-25 year-olds said that they were \u201cparticularly involved and committed\u201d, but in reality, this commitment mainly takes the form of small actions in the course of daily life. In the Ifop survey, more than two-thirds of the under-25s said that they regularly limit their water consumption, that they prefer to extend the life of their possessions rather than buy new ones, and that they buy \u201cenvironmentally-friendly\u201d products. <\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n

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\n Voir aussi<\/span>\n
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\n \n \"\"<\/a>\n <\/span>\n \n Engagements et valeurs politiques des jeunes g\u00e9n\u00e9rations<\/a>\n \n \n \n <\/use>\n<\/svg>\n <\/a>\n <\/span>\n
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31 May 2022<\/div>\n BISALLI Quentin<\/a>\n
\n 7 min.\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n \n <\/use>\n<\/svg>\n\n Note de veille\n <\/a>\n Soci\u00e9t\u00e9<\/a>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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When it comes to other everyday practices, the discrepancy or even contradiction between discourse and practice is even more pronounced:<\/p>\n\n\n\n