Gaps in required curricula may explain differences in climate change acceptance among college graduates

The average American college student has just a 17 percent chance of learning about climate change before graduation through required core courses. The finding may help explain why having a bachelor’s degree doesn’t always lead to increased acceptance of human-caused global warming, according to new research led by Vanderbilt sociologist David Hess. Undergraduate Brandi Collins, who has since graduated, contributed to the paper, “Climate Change and Higher Education: Assessing factors that affect curriculum requirements” available online now and appearing in print in the January 1, 2018, issues of the Journal of Cleaner Production.