Executive Summary 

Background

HACER studied the beliefs about, experiences with, knowledge of, and reactions to climate change of Latines in different regions of Minnesota. To our knowledge this is the first study that has explored climate change perceptions specifically of Latines in Minnesota.

Methods

HACER conducted focus groups with adults, interviews with youth, and surveys with both adults and youth to better understand these experiences.

Findings
Focus Groups

Focus groups participants shared various experiences and perspectives on their experiences, concerns, and expectations for how to address the issue of climate change. Some of the key themes were:

•  Participants clearly articulated what they consider the impacts of climate change and how they view it in the world. For most, climate change is undeniable, with some limited but mixed perceptions.ç
• Concern and frustration are the primary emotions felt by participants, focused on the lack of actions they see from others, as well as from organizations and governments to combat climate change.
• Participants noted that lack of information was a main barrier in Latines being able to take action to combat climate change, as other systemic barriers that were outside of their control.
• Social media and the news are important sources of information for Latines, though Latines learn about climate change through other sources too.

Youth Interviews

The youth interviews offered various key insights, many of which overlap with what came up during the adult focus groups. These include:

• Most participants demonstrated a high awareness of climate change, particularly with regard to its impact on nature, animals, and habitats.
• Expressed a high level of concern about climate change and its causes, such as pollution and greenhouse gas emissions from non-clean energy sources like fossil fuels.
• Participants suggested that social media is the most effective outlet to share information about climate change, along with disseminating information in school, through the news, friends, and family.

Survey

• Majority of respondents believed that climate change is happening, caused by humans. They also expressed their concern about its impact on agriculture, water quality, and air quality.
• Respondents most frequently heard about climate change on social media and news, and they would be most influenced by messages that share information on the impact on people’s health and the science behind climate change.
• Almost half of the respondents believed that Latines are affected just as much as the whole population when it comes to climate change.

Conclusion

Climate change is a topic many Latines know and care about, though there is an acknowledgement that the community and governments can be doing more to combat climate change. There is still a need for information, in Spanish, for many Latines to become informed on the topic. HACER will continue to conduct projects that give Latines the space to discuss and meaningfully take action on climate change.