Influences of energy conservation education on attitudes and behaviors of selected youths in Piedmont, North Carolina

The purpose of this experimental study was to examine attitudes and behaviors of selected youths in Piedmont North Carolina toward energy conservation. The sample consisted of 284 youths (127 control groups and 157 experimental groups). Youths were seven to nineteen years old, were members of a 4-H club and resided in one of 14 counties of Piedmont North Carolina. Each youth completed a pretest and posttest (concerning attitudes and behaviors toward energy conservation) between November 1980 and January 1981. Data revealed that 60 percent of the youths had taken energy conservation classes in school and 40 percent had participated in a 4-H energy class or an energy assignment or project. The most favorable behavior changes were found among those who were older and the lived in towns and cities greater than 10,000 people. Those who experienced more classes reported more energy conscious changes. However, the most significant attitude change was found for those youths who had no prior energy conservation experiences.