Research: Young people are less concerned about climate

Young people are less concerned about the climate than a few years ago. This is apparent from a study published on Thursday Ipsos I&Othat was carried out among 2,519 Dutch people aged eighteen and older. The behavior of young people was also less sustainable in 2024 than the years before.

Although knowledge about sustainable behavior has increased correctly, this hardly leads to actually more sustainable choices. Many young people feel that their individual behavior, such as buying fewer clothes or flying less, makes little to no difference, the researchers see.

The decrease in concern about the environment is greatest within the youngest group, young people from 18 to 24 years old. In 2019, 71 percent of this age group said they were worried about the climate – at the time the highest percentage of all age groups. In 2025 that fell to 66 percent, but is still relatively high. In the Netherlands, around 61 percent of people are concerned about the climate.

‘Subject is overshadowed’

Ipsos researcher Maartje van Will does not want to call it a lack of involvement, but a shift in attention. « Young people think climate change is certainly important, but the subject is overshadowed by other themes that are more in the news, or can be felt immediately in their lives. Such as the Gaza War or the Housing Crisis, » Van Will told against NRC.

The investigation indeed mentions that the shift can be partly explained because other concerns are higher on the list among young people. « Ask young people they are concerned about, and they call wars, the return of Trump, or practical problems such as coming around or finding a home. Hardly anyone calls climate change, » writes the research agency.

« Only when you ask does the subject of climate come up, » says Van Will. According to the researcher, climate has become an abstract theme for many young people, with little direct visibility in their daily lives.

After years of decrease, the average CO₂ emissions of young people increased again last year. This increase is particularly visible in the field of mobility. Young people travel more by car and get on the plane more often: the average number of air travel per year increased from 0.9 in 2023 to 1.2 in 2025.

Constant purchase stimuli

According to Van Will, many young people in the interviews indicated that they were aware of their own impact on the climate, but at the same time feel that their efforts make little difference. « They said it feels pointless to make sustainable choices themselves if companies, other countries or even peers don’t do that. »

In addition, young people pointed to the influence of ‘the system’ in which they grow up, the researcher explains. « For example, they mention social media, where influencers regularly make air travel or promote new clothing. That works as a constant purchase stimulus and makes it difficult not to go along with it. »

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