Is There a “Green Moral”? How Young People’s Moral Attributes Define Engagement with Narratives about Climate Change

Edson Capoano (), Alice Dutra Balbé and Pedro Rodrigues Costa
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Edson Capoano: Superior School of Advertising and Marketing (ESPM-SP), São Paulo 04018-010, SP, Brazil
Alice Dutra Balbé: Communication and Society Research Centre (CECS), University of Minho, 4710-057 Braga, Portugal
Pedro Rodrigues Costa: Centre for Research in Applied Communication, Culture, and New Technologies (CICANT), Lusófona University, 1749-024 Lisbon, Portugal

Social Sciences, 2024, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-18

Abstract: This paper discusses the relationship between morality and engagement focused on the narratives about climate change. The goal of our research is to understand whether moral grounds identified in individuals and in narratives can influence youth’s engagement in environmental debate and news consumption on climate change. Recognizing that people’s perceptions of climate change are related to several factors, such as ideas, cultures, and values, we sought to understand whether there is a “green morality” or a prevalence of more responsive moral attributes in individuals when they are exposed to thinking about the environment. We use the Moral Foundations Theory to analyze comments on the environmental news on Twitter and a questionnaire adapted to the environment on moral grounds. The data were collected from Brazil and Portugal between 2021 and 2022. The overall results showed a high incidence of responses with Care/Harm and Fairness/Cheating, and an average incidence of responses related to Loyalty/Betrayal and Authority/Subversion. The results indicate that youngsters show a more prominent moral to care and environmental harm, as well as justice and responsibility, which may influence their interest in the consumption of environmental news and future engagement. In addition, there are factors, such as political issues, that can influence moral values and engagement.

Keywords: morality; engagement; climate change; youth; narratives; news (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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