From environmentalism to activism: comparing environmentalist students and Fridays for Future protesters in Hungary

A distinctive feature of the global climate movement at the end of the 2010s was the massive involvement of young people. While the generational character of the climate movement was acknowledged by scholars in the field, the comparison of youth passive environmental consciousness and activism had not yet received adequate research attention. This paper investigates the sociological factors and political attitudes that can determine young people’s self-identification as environmentalists and their engagement in protest actions. The research question was addressed using two datasets: a database comprising Hungarian students (N = 800) and a protest survey database from the Fridays For Future (FFF) protests in Budapest (N = 258). Data collection took place in both cases in 2019. The findings reveal two distinct patterns: environmentalism is associated with a lower socio-economic status, disinterest in politics, dissatisfaction with the state of democracy, and passivity in terms of collective forms of political participation. On the other hand, FFF protesters exhibit a higher socio-economic status and are more actively involved in demonstrations but are less engaged in institutionalized forms of political participation. These results indicate that participating in climate protests carries significant cultural and social costs, even for young individuals.