In recent years, interest in climate change and environmental sustainability has
increased in public opinion, in the new and old media and among scientists.
There are important changes in attitudes towards environmental protection and
a great involvement in environmental movements, especially among young
people. Moreover, online interactions have also reached most areas of life,
including collective activation.
The present study is part of a research project investigating the differences in
perceptions of online participation compared to face-to-face environmental
engagement and the characteristics that make participation effective.
Ten focus groups were conducted in three geographical areas of Italy (Turin,
Bologna, Naples), involving 96 participants (64 F, age 18-40, mean 39.11). The
FGs discussion were based on the following topics: personal experiences of
environmental participation; meaning and balance of participation; comparison
between online and face-to-face participation; individual and social identity
changes that may be associated with participation.
The FG transcripts were subjected to thematic analysis, which we propose here
on the aspects that make participation - in its various forms - sustainable. The
results suggest that face-to-face participation seems to benefit from a more
visible activist identity and a greater attribution of efficacy, sometimes linked to
the possibility of taking concrete action and having direct relationships with
people. Considerations of personal, social, material and symbolic costs and
risks were also discussed and help to clarify the difference between the forms of
participation and the perception of their sustainability.


Keywords: participation, climate change, sustainability, focus group