Transregional Study of Willingness to Engage in Climate Change Actions among Youth in the Red Sea Countries

Public perception represents a critical factor in people's engagement and support for climate change adaptation and mitigation actions. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the perceptions of youth and their willingness to engage in climate change actions in Lebanon and another six countries in the Red Sea arena (Jordan, Djibouti, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia (KSA), and Yemen) by integrating socio-cultural, experiential, cognitive, and sociodemographic as explanatory factors. By employing a mixed-methods approach, 2788 young people aged 18 to 35 years were surveyed using a standardized questionnaire. Key findings reveal significant inter-country differences at all levels. For instance, among the Red Sea countries, Saudi Arabia reported the lowest willingness to act, with an average score of 44.2%, while Sudan recorded the highest, with an average score of 58.7%. Youths from all countries in this study demonstrated moderate to low levels of knowledge about climate change causes, impacts, and impacts of responses, with an overall average score of 47%. The findings revealed that only 26% of participants received formal climate change education, predominantly as elective courses during their study. For the explanatory factors, value orientations were found to influence willingness to act strongly. Biospheric and socio-altruistic values were positively correlated with behavioral willingness, while egoistic values had a weaker or non-significant correlation. Social norms, particularly prescriptive norms, were found to be strong predictors of willingness, underscoring the role of societal pressure in shaping climate-related behaviors. Mitigation response inefficacy (i.e., the belief that actions are ineffective) was negatively correlated with behavioral willingness, highlighting a critical barrier to engagement. Gender, age, level of education, and receiving climate change education were significant predictors of willingness to act, with higher education levels and prior exposure to climate change education correlating with increased willingness. Experience with extreme weather events (EWEs) also shaped behavioral willingness, with those exposed to such events reporting a higher willingness to act. The study identifies critical encounters, including gaps in climate education and the influence of socioeconomic factors on willingness to engage in climate actions. It underscores the need for tailored interventions that address regional disparities and leverage value orientations and social norms to promote climate action among youth. Policies should prioritize integrating climate change education into formal curricula and fostering community-based initiatives to enhance societal and personal willingness to engage in mitigation efforts. Addressing perceived inefficacy through targeted campaigns can also bolster youth participation in climate action.