Conceptualizing climate change awareness as a complex system: exploring adolescents’ climate change awareness based on longitudinal network analysis

Adolescents’ climate change awareness (CCA) is essential for addressing global climate challenges. However, limited to the entity perspectives, current research lacks insight into the characteristics and development of adolescents’ CCA. This study conceptualizes CCA as a complex system of psychological and behavioral components, employing the Network Comparison Test and Cross-Lagged Panel Network analysis to explore their complex interactions. The results show that interactions among components constitute the external performance of adolescents’ CCA, which remained stable with a slight increase. The weakening link between “Attitude” and “Multiplicative Action” suggests a process of internalization, while a stronger connection between “Personal Concern” and “Climate-friendly Behavior” indicates delayed behavioral responses. “Attitude” is identified as the core component, significantly influencing other components, while “Knowledge” has a limited impact. These findings provide a novel theoretical framework and perspective on adolescents’ CCA, offering valuable insights for improving climate change education.