Information sources and climate change mitigation support

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between information sources and support for climate change mitigation among undergraduates at Adeleke University. A simple random sampling technique was used to survey the students anonymously. Data analysis involved descriptive and inferential statistics. Results showed that a majority of the 688 participants expressed support for climate change mitigation actions, such as reducing fossil fuel usage, planting trees, and reducing meat intake. The main sources of climate change information for students were Google, Television, friends, family, Facebook, Radio, YouTube, and Instagram. However, Twitter, newspapers, church/mosque, and religious leaders were not commonly used as primary sources. Notably, sourcing climate change information from newspapers had a significant positive relationship (p = 0.036) with support for mitigation measures. The study concluded that information sources play a crucial role in generating support for climate change mitigation efforts. It recommended promoting newspaper readership to enhance awareness and support for sustainable practices, collaborating with newspapers to feature informative climate change content, engaging with Twitter users for accurate information dissemination, and partnering with religious institutions to incorporate climate change messages into teachings and support grassroots initiatives.