“It shows we are serious”: Young people in Australia discuss climate justice protests as a mechanism for climate change advocacy and action

Abstract

Objective: This article aims to understand young Australians’ perspectives of climate justice protests as a mechanism for climate change advocacy and action. Method: A qualitatively led online survey was conducted with n=511 young Australians (15–24 years). Open-text questions prompted for young people’s perceptions of the appeal, accessibility, and effectiveness of climate justice protests in climate change action. A reflexive thematic analysis was conducted to construct themes from the data. Results: Participants perceived that protests were an important mechanism for young people to draw attention to the need for climate action. However, they also stated that the clear messages that were sent to governments via protests did not necessarily lead to government action. Young people perceived that there were some structural issues that prevented them from taking part in these types of activities, including living far away from protests, not being accessible for young people with disabilities, and limited support from family members and/or friends to participate. Conclusions and implications for public health: Climate justice activities engage young people and give them hope. The public health community has a role to play in supporting access to these activities and championing young people as genuine political actors in addressing the climate crisis.