Climate change – who cares? Attitudes and argumentation patterns regarding climate protection amongst teenagers and young adults in Brandenburg

The aim of the project is to provide empirical insights into the attitudes and argumentation patterns of teenagers and young adults (aged 16–21) in Brandenburg regarding climate protection. The aim is to gain a better understanding of how this target group views climate protection, as well as the energy and transport transitions; what knowledge they have of the issues and possible actions; the extent to which climate protection considerations influence their everyday behaviour; and how selected measures from the Brandenburg Climate Plan are assessed in terms of impact, effectiveness and fairness. In addition, the project aims to capture the target group’s expectations of politics and public administration, as well as their desire to have a say in decision-making. To this end, the project specifically involves conducting and analysing at least three digital focus groups with young people from Brandenburg. The results are intended to serve as a basis for the Brandenburg Scientific Climate Advisory Board (WKB) to recommend climate protection measures tailored to the target group and effective communication strategies aimed at young people to the state government. In doing so, the study aims to create a sound knowledge base for the further development of the Brandenburg Climate Plan. The added value compared to existing studies lies in the generation of up-to-date data specifically tailored to young people in Brandenburg, as existing studies are usually conducted at a national level and/or do not focus on specific age groups.