| Abstract: |
This study investigated the influence of TikTok climate change
activism videos on the climate education of Generation Z (Gen Z)
university students in Nigeria. Three federal universities were
purposively selected: the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Ahmadu
Bello University (ABU), Zaria, and the University of Nigeria,
Nsukka (UNN), with a combined accessible Gen Z population of
approximately 91,000 students. A convergent parallel mixed
methods design was employed. For the quantitative strand, a
structured questionnaire was administered in a hybrid mode,
through an online survey built on Google Forms and in printed
copies, to 480 students selected through multi-stage sampling; 467
valid responses were retained (97.3% return rate). Qualitative data
were obtained through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 30
purposively selected students (10 per university). Five research
questions guided the study, covering exposure, knowledge,
attitudes, behavioral intentions and personal experiences.
Quantitative data were analyzed with frequency tables, percentages,
means, standard deviations and Pearson correlation, presented with
charts; qualitative data were analyzed thematically. Findings show
that 87.2% of respondents encountered climate activism videos on
TikTok at least once a week, and 74.3% did so daily or several times
a week, mostly through the algorithmic For You Page (87.8%).
Students with higher exposure recorded stronger climate knowledge
(r = .34, p < .001) and held positive environmental attitudes, while
behavioral intentions were strongest for low-cost actions and
weakest for structurally demanding activism. Interviews revealed
incidental algorithmic learning, emotional resonance, uneven
credibility checking, a structural awareness–action gap and a
demand for Nigerian climate content. The study is anchored on the
Uses and Gratifications Theory and Social Cognitive Theory, and it
offers practical implications for climate educators, communicators
and policymakers in Nigeria. |
