What? The Earth is Sick? Undergraduate Student Awareness of Environmental Problems: A Qualitative Study

Abstract A great deal of information about potential catastrophic global change has emerged through multiple media sources in the past several years, yet little change has been forthcoming from the populace at large. To assess penetration and effect of this information, an inductive qualitative study was performed. Nineteen college-aged men and women from a medium-sized Midwestern university participated in three interviews which asked questions relating to their awareness of global climate problems, population size, and personal resource usage. Nine themes emerged from the data, each suggesting that the individuals interviewed were somewhat aware of current and potential problems, yet showed little concern, and were, overall, not invested in changing their behaviors to address the perceived environmental problems. Further research may include a wider demographic sample and questions designed to assess the psychodynamics of participant responses.