Young people’s conceptions of political agency in relation to climate change

Abstract

This article explores how young people conceptualise political agency in the context of climate change. Drawing on a Reflexive Thematic Analysis of 22 focus groups with 154 young people living in Portugal, aged 13 to 35, we identified four conceptions of political agency: transformational collective agency, proto-political collective action, individualised action and disempowered action. Our findings indicate that young people who identify as climate activists view oppositional and disruptive actions as the pathway for achieving transformational social change. In contrast, non-activists tend to favour proto-political collective action or individual approaches as means of gaining political influence. For some young people, disempowered action reflects a limited sense of political agency, which constrains their perceived role in addressing climate change. Overall, we suggest that young people’s political agency regarding climate change is shaped by both motivating and inhibiting factors, a desire for political influence and perceived power to bring about transformative change.