In her speeches, Thunberg proclaims that “there is still time to change everything around”.
Given the prevailing sense of doom about climate change, empowering people to take action requires an ability to convey that change is possible.
Greta Thunberg lacks any such elite status, so how has she been able to succeed? Pope Francis, James Hansen and Jeff Bezos have all tried to spur momentum on climate action using their religious, academic and financial authority. ‘No one is too small to make a difference’ We didn’t survey children and teenagers, but we expect them to be most strongly influenced by Thunberg’s school strikes. Surprisingly, the Greta Thunberg effect seems to be similar across age groups and the political spectrum for US adults, though it was stronger among liberals than conservatives. Young people are likely to be most receptive, but Thunberg’s influence defies generational and political divides. Our model seemed to show this might be the case because people who knew Thunberg’s story – how her lonely stand inspired millions around the world to join her – were more likely to recognise the potential for ordinary people to make a difference. Those more familiar with Thunberg were more likely to think their actions were effective and meaningful and were more intent on doing something about climate change. Nonetheless, we discovered a potentially important pattern of associations. Seeing or hearing Greta Thunberg once doesn’t instantly turn someone into a climate activist. They are also more willing to take action themselves, by contacting elected officials or giving time and money to campaigns. But what role has Thunberg’s personal influence played in this? Do her speeches appeal to diverse audiences or is she simply preaching to the choir?īased on a nationally representative survey of over 1,300 US adults, our study found that Americans who report being more familiar with Greta Thunberg also feel more confident that they can help mitigate climate change as part of a collective effort.
In the same time that Greta Thunberg has become a household name, public concern about climate change has reached record highs in the US. Her “ school strike for the climate” has now grown into a global movement that has brought more than 10 million people onto streets worldwide to demand action on climate change. Greta Thunberg has attracted international attention since her lone demonstration outside the Swedish Parliament in August 2018. She was declared Time magazine’s person of the year in the same month that Donald Trump told her to “ work on her anger management issues”.
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