81 Percent of Gen Z Students in University Worried About Climate Change

Solar panels on a roof in Albany, Western Australia, on Jan. 22, 2024. (Susan Mortimer/The Epoch Times)

More than 80 percent of Gen Z Australian university students are being influenced by or are experiencing climate anxiety, which is affecting their quality of life.

A Curtin University survey found 46 percent of Australian university students were very concerned and a further 35 percent were concerned about climate change.

The study, published in Sustainable Earth Reviews, involved talking to 446 students born between 1995 and 2010.

Curtin Professor of Sustainability Dora Marinova said climate anxiety is contributing to Gen Z’s “overall sense of unease towards the future.”

“These young people are very concerned and, in a way, intimidated by the lack of concrete action being taken to battle climate change,” Professor Marinova said.

“Gen Z has serious concerns which will not only impact their mental health—which will be something society and the public health system will have to deal with—but also the choices young people make: how they spend their money, whether they have families, their choice of career and more.”

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The researchers also looked into the level of environmental concern for several other issues. They found 28 percent of Gen Z were very concerned about biodiversity loss, while 22 percent and 17 percent were very concerned about sustainable food systems and plastic pollution respectively.

35 Percent Engage in Climate Activism

Researchers also found that 35 percent of Gen Z students participated in climate activism such as fundraising, donating, protesting or supporting political campaigns.

“Despite this pervasive concern, 65 percent of Australia’s university Gen Z is not engaged in traditional climate activism; however, these young people are using technology to voice their concerns,” researchers noted.

Curtin research fellow Diana Bogueva encouraged more Gen Z to participate in activism to influence policymakers to accelerate climate action.

The researchers did note there were a number of limitations of the study—the respondents chose to participate in the survey, and were not approached randomly.

“First, the respondents were self-selecting to participate in the survey rather than being randomly approached. Second, the list of environmental issues was forced choices rather than free-choice,” the paper noted.

“This could potentially generate higher levels of concern compared to when it is left to the students’ own knowledge to generate responses.”

‘Mass Delusion’: Libertarian Party

Despite the concerns of Gen Z, not everyone in Australia is convinced.

Australian politician John Ruddick, who is a Libertarian Party parliamentarian in New South Wales (NSW), described climate change as a “mass delusion” during a speech in November.

Mr. Ruddick said global boiling was the “dream of the central planners” because it gave them “an excuse to amass power over all of us.”

“Global boiling is a mass delusion. Mankind has been subject to many in the past,” he told Parliament (pdf).

“Global warming is more than a humorous delusion. It is the reason why this nation and most of the West have barely had any economic growth for 15 years. Along with COVID, it is why we are suffering inflation.

“We are embarking on ripping down a cheap and highly efficient energy supply that has powered our success and replacing it with an extremely expensive and highly dubious replacement: the renewables—which should be known as the unreliables.”