Attitude to climate change and pro-environmental behavior in Mexican upper elementary students

Abstract

The objective of this research was to analyze the relationship between gender, age and school grade regarding the attitude to climate change, the ecological paradigm and the pro-environmental behavior in boys and girls who study upper primary, in Santa María Coronango, in the Puebla, Mexico. It is a suburban population that is rapidly transforming into residential and commercial zone, due to its proximity to the capital city. A conclusive, correlational and cross-sectional investigation was conducted. A personal survey technique was used with 302 students from the fourth, fifth and sixth grades. The results showed that there are no significant differences between boys and girls regarding attitude, behavior and the dimensions of the ecological paradigm. However, significant associations were found between age, school grade and the eco-crisis dimension of the ecological paradigm; as well as between school grade and attitude to climate change. The most relevant finding showed that as infants grow and are about to enter puberty, they are indifferent to the eco-crisis. The results are discussed and future research is proposed.