Transforming Climate Policy Dialogue through Game-Based Methods

At the APA Division 34's Online Conference in September 2024, our team from the Centre for Social Innovation, Vienna, presented new research from the Horizon Europe project GREAT. This study used role-playing games to improve youth engagement with climate policy, involving 191 Austrian students acting as policymakers to promote green jobs through structured, solution-focused discussions.

These interactive sessions aimed to identify students’ preferences for different strategies targeting green jobs. Moreover, we tested whether the experience improved collective efficacy, action intentions, and climate change beliefs. While significant shifts in beliefs were linked to high-quality discussions, collective efficacy remained unchanged. These findings reveal the potential of game-based interventions to shape climate dialogue, making complex policy topics more accessible to students.

Our intervention demonstrated that the quality of discussions—when participants share diverse perspectives, can participate equally, discuss based on facts—can positively influence young people's understanding of climate change. Interestingly, the results varied across school types and regions, with urban students showing more significant belief changes.

Looking forward, this research paves the way for future educational applications, allowing us to adapt these methods for different demographics and policy issues. The feedback from both students and teachers has been positive, indicating the promise of using such game-based interventions to promote active citizenship and policy engagement.

You can find the presentation on Researchgate.