Assessing climate knowledge and perceptions among adolescents. An exploratory study in Portugal

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to assess climate change knowledge among high school students and their beliefs and perceptions about the climate crisis. A questionnaire composed of 43 closed-ended questions was applied to 219 students aged 15–18 in three schools located in the north of Portugal. The results show that participants declared having limited knowledge about the issue. Similarly, the research confirms the conclusions of other studies that identified generalized alternative representations of climate change. Our findings aim to offer data geared toward supporting and promoting a new way of conceptualizing and understanding climate change education (CCE) in formal education contexts in the Portuguese education system.