Exploring the role of social norms, self- and group-efficacy for mainstreaming climate action among young adults (cli-MATES)

As young people have the most to lose and to gain through climate change, they are one of the most important target groups to engage in the deep societal transformation necessary to limit global warming to under +1.5°C or rather 2°C as prescribed by the Paris Agreement (UNFCCC 2015).

Focusing upon young adults aged 18 to 29 undergoing the phase of ‘emerging adulthood’, this project aimed to clarify the role of social norms, self-efficacy, peer-inspiration as well as group efficacy for mainstreaming climate action among young adults. Combining climate science, communication science, arts and design it developed new creative methods and communication formats together with young adults in a co-design process aiming to stimulate youth collective action on climate change.
Activities included a Climate Action Retreat in St Gilgen, Austria, in the Spring of 2018. 

The project aimed to:
- explore and deepen scientific insights about beneficial and hindering factors and environments for collective climate action (versus individual action) 
- 
analyse the role of social norms, self-efficacy, peer-inspiration as well as group efficacy in existing climate action initiatives 
 
- derive implications for strengthening existing climate action initiatives and incubating new ones
- organise a “co-design retreat” to develop new climate communication formats and methods (targeted at young adults not yet engaged in climate action and young founders’ of existing climate action initiatives) 

- evaluate the impact of the co-design process regarding empowerment and climate engagement 
- 
contribute to the diversification of young climate communication (message framing, media choice etc. tailored towards social sub-groups within the target group)

Through this it helped clarify the role of social norms, self-efficacy, peer-inspiration as well as group efficacy for mainstreaming climate action among young adults and combined climate science, communication science, arts & design to develop new creative methods and communication formats together with young adults in a co-design process aiming to stimulate youth collective action on climate change.