Officials, Voters, Show More Concern About Plastic Waste in Ocean After Kids’ Presentations

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A new study from North Carolina State University found that, on average, voters and local leaders showed greater concern about plastic and other garbage in the ocean after watching kids’ presentations.

A new study from North Carolina State University found that, on average, voters and local leaders showed greater concern about plastic and other garbage in the ocean after watching kids’ presentations.

The findings, published in the journal Frontiers in Political Science, built on previous research that found educating kids about climate change was linked to an increase in concern in parents. The new findings indicate kids can have a broader impact outside of their families.

“Our lab has already established that kids can have an impact across the dinner table, and it’s cool to see that they can also have an impact within town halls, too,” said the study’s lead author Jenna Hartley, a Ph.D. student in the NC State Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management. “We also saw that kids could help close partisan gaps in how community members view this issue.”

Read more at: North Carolina State University