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The Korean Society for Journalism & Communication (KSJCS)
[ Article ]
Korean Journal of Journalism & Communication Studies - Vol. 68, No. 5, pp.5-45
ISSN: 2586-7369 (Online)
Print publication date 31 Oct 2024
Received 02 Aug 2024 Revised 01 Oct 2024 Accepted 05 Oct 2024
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20879/kjjcs.2024.68.5.001

기후변화를 향한 한국 청년들의 목소리 : 기후변화로 인한 감정과 대화 시도를 중심으로

이혜선** ; 호규현***
**국립암센터 암지식정보센터 박사후연구원 lhs@ncc.re.kr
***서강대학교 신문방송학과 박사수료 sin7552@gmail.com
Voices of Korean Young Adults on Climate Change : Emotions and Communication Attempts Driven by Climate Change
Hye-Sun Lee** ; Gyuhyun Ho***
**Postdoctoral Researcher, National Cancer Control Institute, National Cancer Center, corresponding author lhs@ncc.re.kr
***Ph. D. Candidate, Department of Mass Communication, Sogang University sin7552@gmail.com

초록

기후변화 문제 속 한국의 청년들을 논의하는 과정에서 당사자인 한국 청년들이 기후변화에 대해 어떻게 생각하고 느끼는지 살펴본 연구는 찾기 어려웠다. 이에 따라, 이 연구는 기후변화를 향한 한국 청년들의 감정과 인식을 살펴봄으로써 기후변화와 한국 청년 간의 관계를 다뤄왔던 기존 논의를 확장해보고자 했다. 이를 위해, 정량적 자료 수집 방법인 설문조사와 정성적 자료 수집 방법인 초점 집단 토론을 함께 적용하는 혼합방법연구를 진행하였다. 설문조사에서는 전국 17개 시·도 거주 만 19세~만 34세에 해당하는 청년 500명 대상으로 기후변화에 관한 감정과 인식을 질문하였다. 개방형 문항 답변 분석 결과, ‘심각’, ‘걱정’, ‘체감’, ‘불안’, ‘두려움’ 등이 주요 단어로 등장하였고, 폐쇄형 문항 답변에서도 ‘불안’이나 ‘두려움’에 동의하는 비율이 상대적으로 더 높았다. 반면, 기후변화로 인한 감정 가운데 비동의 비율이 가장 높은 감정은 ‘낙관(긍정)’이었다. 또한, 기후변화에 관한 대화 시도 경험을 질문하였을 때 ‘기후변화에 대하여 다른 사람에게 이야기하지 않는다’에 동의하는 비율 역시 상대적으로 높게 나타났다. 초점 집단 토론에서는 세 가지 결과의 맥락을 살펴보았는데, 참여자들은 기후변화 이야기가 ‘심각’과 ‘체감’에 머물러있고 낙관 가능성을 찾기 어렵다고 지적하였다. 또한, 기후변화를 주제로 하는 대화에 관한 오해가 발견되기도 했다. 주요 결과를 토대로, 공포, 위협, 압박 등을 벗어난 환경 커뮤니케이션의 필요성을 논의하였다.

Abstract

Climate change is a serious issue because it has the potential to produce both physical and mental health difficulties for individuals and communities. When young adults believe they are powerless to address or reduce climate change, they may experience negative emotions such as depression, anxiety, pain, frustration, or betrayal. This study contributes to an elaborate understanding of this severe issue by examining how young adults, as critical stakeholders in climate change issues, perceive and feel about climate change. There is a dearth of research that examines the emotions or perceptions of Korean young adults in relation to climate change. This is due to the fact that previous studies have primarily concentrated on the concept of "young adults" as a signifier that has been constructed by external interpreters, rather than examining their firsthand perspectives on climate change issues in Korea. In order to address this research gap, this study examines the perceptions and emotions of Korean young adults on climate change. It places a particular emphasis on the importance of listening to the voices of Korean young adults, who offer their firsthand perspectives on climate change issues. We employed a mixed-methods approach, conducting a survey with a total of 500 Korean young adults, followed by focus group discussions to interpret the results of the survey. The results show negative perceptions or emotions due to climate change, such as seriousness, concern, anxiety, and fear. It was reported that 64 percent of respondents experience anxiety due to climate change, and around fifty-nine percent experience fear. Optimism is the most disagreed-with emotion among the perceptions or emotions related to climate change (87.8%). Moreover, around 40 percent of respondents reported not discussing climate change with others. The contexts of these results were examined through the firsthand perspectives of nine Korean young adults during the focus group discussion. According to the participants, young adults experience severe and apprehensive emotions when they observe tangible changes in their daily lives, including temperature fluctuations, natural disasters, and shorter seasons. Additionally, they can escalate into anxiety or fear when they perceive it as challenging to find a clear solution or hope for addressing climate change. They also pointed out that feeling optimistic about climate change is difficult because young adults have yet to experience positive impacts or results from these issues. In particular, the media predominantly communicates information regarding the detrimental effects of climate change-related behavior or policy, as opposed to the beneficial effects. We further found some misunderstandings related to discussions of climate change. For instance, one group is concerned that they might come across as nagging when discussing climate change. Another group, however, expects they cannot engage actively in discussions because they don't have in-depth knowledge of climate change. This study expands previous research addressing the perceptions and emotions of young adults worldwide regarding climate change by providing empirical evidence from Korea. We discuss the implications of our findings for the field of environmental communication.

Keywords:

Climate Change, Young Adults, Climate Anxiety, Mixed Methods, Environmental Communication

키워드:

기후변화, 청년, 기후 불안, 혼합연구방법, 환경커뮤니케이션

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a grant from the Green Behavioral Institution at the Korea SHE Foundation. We would like to acknowledge the Environmental Communication Division of the Korean Association for Broadcasting & Telecommunication Studies, the reviewers, and the Korean young adults who participated in our survey and focus group discussions(이 연구는 2023년에 재단법인 숲과나눔 풀씨행동연구소로부터 연구지원을 받았으며, 2024년 한국방송학회 봄철 정기학술대회 환경커뮤니케이션 연구회 세션에서 발표된 바 있습니다. 발전된 논문이 될 수 있도록 조언해주신 사회자·토론자 선생님들과 익명의 심사위원분들, 그리고 설문조사와 초점집단인터뷰를 통해 자신들의 목소리를 아낌없이 나눠주었던 한국의 청년들에게 깊이 감사드립니다).

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