The Impact of Human Rights Consciousness on Attitudes toward Supporting Climate-Vulnerable Groups : Evidence from Young Adults in Their 20s

This study conceptualizes the climate crisis as a human rights issue and examines the effects of human rights consciousness on attitudes toward supporting climate-vulnerable groups. Reflecting the multidimensional nature of human rights consciousness, the research model incorporates dimensions of human rights knowledge, attitudes, and actions, as well as perceptions of the human rights situation, as key independent variables. Using data from 1,388 young adults in their twenties drawn from the ‘2024 Human Rights Awareness Survey’ conducted by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, hierarchical regression analysis was employed. The results indicate that, even after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics including progressive political orientation, perceptions of the severity of the climate crisis, and experiences of human rights education, human rights knowledge, attitudes toward respecting human rights, attitudes toward practicing human rights actions, and perceptions of the severity of human rights problems in Korean society all have significant effects on attitudes toward supporting climate-vulnerable groups. In particular, among the human rights consciousness variables, attitudes toward respecting human rights showed the strongest relative influence in the final model. Based on the findings that young people’s human rights consciousness significantly influences attitudes toward supporting climate-vulnerable groups, this study offers suggestions for enhancing social awareness and outlines directions for future research.