Theme deep dive · Environment & Climate
Headline stat
78%
say air pollution affects community health and well-being (2026)
Kectil Youth Speak 2025 and 2026
35%
say their country is doing enough on climate and sustainability
78%
call water pollution a major public-health threat
69%
say food security is a critical community issue
Three things the data shows
Concern that air pollution affects community health rose from 75% to 78% between 2025 and 2026.
Only 35% of 2026 respondents say their country is doing enough on climate and sustainability.
Just 12% say people in their country have stopped throwing polluting trash.
2025 vs 2026
Top-2-box agreement (rated 4 or 5 on a 5-point scale) for each tracked statement in this theme, sorted by largest year-over-year movement.
Pollution and food security still dominate environmental concern, while institutional climate action stays low.
Colored cells with an arrow mark statistically significant year-over-year changes at the 95% confidence level: green-teal for favorable shifts, red for unfavorable shifts. Gray cells without an arrow are not statistically significant.
Highest 2026 signal
Air pollution affects community health and well-being
78%
Largest YoY movement
Food security is a critical community issue
-4 ptsFavorable
Food security is a critical community issue
Renewable energy is prioritized in national policy
Air pollution affects community health and well-being
Country is doing enough on climate and sustainability
Government is reducing solid waste pollution
People practice sustainable consumption
People have stopped throwing polluting trash
Water pollution is a major public-health threat
UN COP meetings advance environmental education
Source: Kectil Youth Speak annual comparison tables, chart 19. Thinking about environmental issues in your home country... Base sizes: 2025 n=2,252; 2026 n=2,706. Measure: % selected top-2-box, rating 4/5 on a 5-point scale. Colored background + arrow = 2025-vs-2026 difference is statistically significant at the 95% confidence level (two-proportion z-test; run only when both years have at least 35 respondents). Gray = not a statistically significant change.
2026 slide preview
These selected slide previews keep the deep dive connected to the presentation-ready Youth Speak evidence.
Slide 10
A storytelling slide for the climate and environment deep dive.
Slide 12
A climate slide highlighting rising environmental concern.
Slide 19
The final-deck environment trend slide.
Slide 20
The 2026 regional differences view for environmental issues.
Slide 21
The year-over-year regional environment comparison.
“I hope that we young people can achieve a country with economic growth without the destruction of our ecosystems.”
Female, 22, Bolivia
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