Girls more anxious about climate change than boys, study shows

Girls are more likely to worry about climate change and engage more in teaching on the topic than boys, according to research led by UCL.

Researchers also found that children from lower socioeconomic groups are less likely to enjoy or value learning about climate change than their more advantaged peers.

In the report, published by the UCL Center for Climate Change and Sustainability Education, researchers examined experiences of pupils in English schools and their perceptions of climate change and sustainability education within and beyond the school curriculum.

When asked how they feel about climate change, 36% of students said they worry “a lot” or “all the time” about what the world will be like in the future. A further 50% reported they worry “a little.”

Girls reported significantly higher levels of worry (44%) than boys (27%), but overall, when asked how climate change made them feel, 53% of students selected “anxious” and when asked if they thought adults were doing enough to look after the environment, just 16% agreed.

Professor Nicola Walshe (IOE, UCL’s Faculty of Education & Society), Executive Director of UCL Center for Climate Change and Sustainability Education, said, “There is very little in-depth understanding of students’ perspectives of and aspirations for climate change and sustainability education. These results form an incredibly important evidence base that we can use to better support schools and teachers.”

The UCL researchers surveyed 2,429 students (aged 11–14) from 30 English schools between March and May 2024 to investigate their experiences of learning about climate change and sustainability.

The report also identified an inadequate engagement with climate-focused career guidance in schools. The survey found that just 31% of students felt that learning about climate change and sustainability might translate into job opportunities and fewer still (17%) expressed interest in pursuing a sustainability related career. Among less advantaged students, only 14% saw themselves embarking on a green career path.

Students did express a desire to learn more about climate change and sustainability at school, especially if it involved spending more time outside the classroom and among nature (73%). However, there were further gender differences in the topics students were interested in.

“Three quarters of the girls surveyed wanted to learn about how climate change impacts human health and well-being, compared to 60% of boys,” explained Professor Walshe.

“We know climate anxiety is higher among girls, so a more holistic climate change education that addresses a broader range of areas, including health and well-being, may help mitigate young people’s worries.”

The report makes five key recommendations to education policymakers and practitioners. It calls for the development of green careers provision; more opportunities for student engagement and action within schools; climate change and sustainability education to be embedded in all school subjects; students’ anxiety, hopelessness and anger to be explicitly addressed; and the extension of outdoor learning opportunities across the curriculum.

The survey results are among the first of their kind in this emerging field and will form an invaluable evidence base for educationalists and policymakers to draw upon. They will also serve to inform the Center’s professional development program for teachers, Teaching for Sustainable Futures.