Document Type
Article
Journal/Book Title/Conference
Societies
Author ORCID Identifier
Tyler Hansen https://orcid.org/0009-0002-2429-3867
Chloe K. Taylor https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5326-3281
Volume
15
Issue
11
Publisher
MDPI AG
Publication Date
10-30-2025
Journal Article Version
Version of Record
First Page
1
Last Page
16
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Abstract
This study investigates the relationship between students’ political engagement, civic knowledge, socioeconomic status, gender, and digital media use and their pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors in Denmark, Sweden, Spain, and Romania. To do this, we use data from the International Civic and Citizenship Study (ICCS:22) and employ hierarchical level modeling. We found that students with higher civic knowledge and greater confidence in their ability to be active citizens were more likely to report both pro-environmental behaviors and positive attitudes in every country studied. Socioeconomic status also showed positive links with environmental engagement. Digital media use was linked to more pro-environmental behaviors in all countries, but to less positive attitudes in Spain. These results demonstrate the need for context-specific strategies that teach students how to engage collectively towards a more sustainable future.
Recommended Citation
Hansen, T.; Taylor, C.K.; Knowles, R.T. Digital Media and Political Engagement: Shaping Youth Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors in Four European Societies. Societies 2025, 15, 300. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15110300