Education, Location Impact Climate Awareness
New study shows that higher education levels combine with experiences of recent warming temperatures to increase concern about climate change in the US.
A new interdisciplinary study by UT faculty shines light on how educational levels impact climate concerns in the US within communities that experience local, direct effects from the changing climate.
Alex Bentley, professor in the Department of Anthropology, and Ben Horne, assistant professor in the UT School of Information Sciences, analyzed data from more than 3,000 US counties for their report published in npj Climate Action.
Bentley shared the results of this study in an April article for The Conversation.
“Our research suggests that local experiences of climate change—using average warming as our proxy—increase awareness through the ‘leverage’ of education,” said Bentley. “Our study showed the strength of the correlation between education levels and climate concern—using census data on bachelor’s degrees from 3,048 US counties and Yale Climate Opinion data from those counties—was stronger the more relative warming had occurred in the state in the last decade.”
Educational Contexts and Regional Perceptions
Their study indicates that education primes people to interpret changes in their local environment with more awareness to the larger climate picture.
“A science class for example, helps someone notice shifting seasonal patterns—like the lake freezing later, earlier spring flowers—and link them to climate change,” said Bentley. “So, education doesn’t just provide facts—it shapes how people perceive and interpret their surroundings.”
This positive correlation between climate concern and the percentage of adults with bachelor’s degrees varies within counties across US states.
“Our research suggests that regions where climate change is less perceptible—like hotter, southern states—might need more focused awareness efforts,” said Bentley. “In these areas, warming is less noticeable day-to-day, and the ‘education effect’ is smaller.”
Guide for Future Outreach
Understanding how education influences climate concern can guide public policy and communication strategies for dealing with climate events.
“As climate change and catastrophic events—floods, droughts, wildfires—grow more frequent, local concern—and political action—will increasingly hinge on education levels,” said Bentley. “Integrating climate science into general education could be a powerful tool for building long-term public support for climate action. Additionally, targeted outreach in regions where the ‘education effect’ is weaker could help foster broader awareness and resilience.”
The research shows that while individuals’ political leanings can be a strong indicator of their expected climate concern very well, it only represents a reflection of views. Educational outreach across communities connects first-person, local experiences of weather and climate events to ongoing changes.
“Education isn’t just a background factor—it’s a catalyst,” said Bentley. “As climate change becomes more perceptible, education equips people with the tools to understand and respond to these changes.”
By Randall Brown