In a context marked by the climate emergency, understanding how young people engage in environmental protection is essential to ensure the psychosocial and environmental well-being of society. The aim of this study is to identify differentiated profiles of environmental participation, to analyse the sociodemographic and psychosocial factors that predict them, and to compare participatory dynamics between university and non-university youth.
Two independent samples were analysed: first-year university students (n = 1,510; 56.8% women; M = 18.31, SD = 1.27) and non-university youth with no intention of enrolling in higher education in the short term (n = 562; 51.8% women; M = 18.33, SD = 0.62). Five indicators of pro-environmental participation were assessed (attendance at demonstrations, petition signing, responsible consumption, association membership, and volunteering), along with sociodemographic variables (gender, origin, and parental education) and psychosocial variables (pro-environmental attitudes, the value of universalism-nature, and prior environmental socialisation). Latent class analysis was applied to identify participation profiles in each sample, followed by multinomial logistic regression models to predict class membership.
Three consistent patterns were identified in both samples: low involvement, moderate participation, and high commitment. Multinomial logistic regression showed that gender, origin, universalism-nature, and prior environmental socialisation predicted membership in the more active classes. However, pro-environmental attitudes emerged as a significant predictor only among non-university youth. Furthermore, some practices—such as responsible consumption—were relatively frequent across all groups, whereas others—such as association membership and volunteering—showed lower incidence.
These findings provide insights not only into who participates more, but also into the specific forms through which such commitment is expressed. From an applied perspective, the typology obtained offers guidance for the design of targeted educational and community programmes that strengthen less frequent practices while leveraging the more common ones as gateways to sustained environmental engagement.