Does climate change worry you often?

12313

5-11 votes

53745

11-16+ votes

66058

Total votes

Stories of how climate change is shaping our world are never far from the news, but how often do we hear from the generations who will be most affected by its consequences? For this VoteTopic, we asked young people to discuss the extent to which climate change occupies their thoughts and causes them to worry. We are very grateful to UNICEF UK for their input on this topic. You can find out more about their work on climate change and children’s rights here. This week’s assembly explores COP30, which is taking place next month in Belém, Brazil. We hope to make voters’ voices heard there.

Primary 7-11, Secondary, 16+ & College voters were asked: “Does climate change worry you often?”, while Primary 5-7 voters considered: “Does climate change worry you?”

66,058 young people in the UK have taken part in this vote.

Age 5-11 voter

It worries me because it causes floods, storms, and wildfires.

Age 11-16+ voter

We feel that climate change cannot be avoided so worrying about it feels useless.

Age 11-16 voter

While pupils don’t worry about it often they have said when it is mentioned and highlighted they do worry and know that it is a real issue.

Feedback from our Impact Partners...

Thank you to Unicef UK for responding to our voters on this topic.

51% of 7-11-year olds said climate change worries them often.

5-7-year olds discussed the question, "Does climate change worry you?" and 67% voted 'Yes'.
7-11-year olds voted on the question, "Does climate change worry you often?", and had a close to split result, with 51% voting 'Yes'.

Meanwhile, 64% of Secondary students disagreed, voting No to the question, "Does climate change worry you often?"

Secondary, College and 16+ students discussed the question, "Does climate change worry you often?"
64% of Secondary students and 57% of 16+ & College students voted 'No'.

Many said they worries, but not often as other daily stressors took precedence, such as the rising cost of living.

Many said climate change does worry them but not often, suggesting that while they understand its importance, it does not dominate their daily thoughts. Common reasons included feeling that the issue is too large to influence individually, being distracted by more immediate personal concerns, or lacking visible evidence of change in their own lives.
Others expressed frustration at political inaction or scepticism about the effectiveness of international efforts.