X, Y ve Z Kuşakları Arasında İklim Değişikliği Farkındalığı: Cross-Sectional and Descriptive Study

Abstract

Objective: Global climate change, which is primarily caused by human activities, is a serious problem for all living creatures and the next generations. Due to this reason, the level of individual awareness on global climate change seems to be an important point to be determined. This study aims to analyze the level of awareness among the participants from generation X, Y and Z and the factors affecting their awareness. Material and Methods: The study is descriptive and cross-sectional. The sample of the study consisted of 630 participants residing in Türkiye's Tokat province and born between 1965 and 2012. The data of the study were collected using the personal information form and the Global Climate Change Awareness Scale (GCCAS). Results: Accordingly, 62.7% of the participants were male and 46.8% were graduates of high school. The percentage of Gen Xers, Yers and Zers were 42.1%, 26.8% and 31.1%, respectively. Graduates of high school (X=86.82) were statistically significantly higher than graduates of primary school (X=48.29) and university (75.13) (p<0.001). Besides, mean GCCAS score of the graduates of university was statistically significantly higher than graduates of primary school (p<0.001). Awareness of gen Xers on global climate change was higher than gen Yers and gen Zers, whereas the awareness of gen Yers was higher than gen Zers. Besides, participants from gen Z did not give importance to practices to prevent climate change (p=0.001). Conclusion: Based on the findings, it was concluded that educators and media can bear responsibility for raising awareness about global climate change among the members of generation Z. We can also suggest that policy makers take the necessary measures and interventions to increase the knowledge of generation Z on global climate change. In this context, the issue of global climate change can be included in the school curriculum as a vital step. In addition, it is thought that digital media can play a very important role in raising awareness about climate change in the digital age.