What Motivates Student Environmental Activists on College Campuses? An In-Depth Qualitative Study

Cadi Y. Fung and Ellis Adjei Adams
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Cadi Y. Fung: Department of Geography, Environment, and Spatial Sciences, Michigan State University, 673 Auditorium Rd., Room 118, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Ellis Adjei Adams: Global Studies Institute, Department of Geosciences, Georgia State University, 25 Park Place, 18th floor, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA

Social Sciences, 2017, vol. 6, issue 4, 1-15

Abstract: Public concern for the natural environment continues to grow as complex environmental problems emerge. One avenue where concern for the environment has been expressed is through activism. However, research on environmental activism, often aimed at understanding the motivations behind activist behavior, has largely focused on older adults. In this study, we extend the state of knowledge on environmental activism further by focusing on college students. We use qualitative methods (in-depth interviews and observations) to examine the motivations behind student involvement in environmental activism on a state university campus. Our findings underscore that young people’s activist motivations are not stand-alone phenomena; they work in tandem with other processes and factors in a dynamic way and are influenced by an individual’s history, previous experiences and passion, a sense of community, existing incentives, and self-satisfaction derived from activist behavior.

Keywords: environmental activism; pro-environmental behavior; college students; qualitative study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A B N P Y80 Z00 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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