Adolescents’ approval of normative and non-normative pro-environmental protest tactics [Author Accepted Manuscript]

Abstract

Accelerating environmental and climate crises have led to a rise in pro-environmental protests in recent years, with youth playing a pivotal role. However, some protest tactics have not been without controversy. We investigated, in a pre-registered study, German 10- to 14-year-olds’ (N = 157) approval of normative (e.g., demonstrations) and non-normative (e.g. blocking roads) tactics, their perceptions of their parents’ and peers’ approval, and measured participants’ environmental connectedness. Adolescents approved more of normative than non-normative tactics. Their perceptions of parental and peer approval mirrored their own approval ratings, but this association gradually weakened in older adolescents. Higher environmental connectedness predicted greater approval of normative tactics across all age groups as well as greater approval of non-normative tactics in older adolescents. Our study provides insight into adolescents’ perceptions of pro-environmental protest tactics and the factors shaping them in age-cohorts that will be acutely affected by the consequences of environmental polycrisis.