The lack of a standard definition for the primary keyword climate change acceptance definition has made research findings and educational interventions hard to compare. According to the PLOS ONE study (Duke and Holt, published 25 August 2026), a mixed-methods Delphi process produced two defensible definitions that educators and researchers can adopt to measure or target acceptance among undergraduate science students. The payoff for researchers and instructors is clearer instrument choice, more comparable results across studies, and better-aligned curriculum goals.
Key Takeaways
According to the PLOS ONE study (Duke & Holt, published 25 August 2026), two consensus definitions of climate change acceptance for undergraduate science students emerged: the "Anthropogenic" definition and the "Anthropogenic + Mechanistic" definition.
- The PLOS ONE study reviewed 523 articles and extracted 3, 089 measurement items between October 2023 and February 2024, of which 2, 402 were unique items (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
- The PLOS ONE Delphi process involved 210 experts and stakeholders across four iterative rounds of interviews and surveys between April 2024 and July 2025 (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
- Consensus oscillated: in Round 2, 50.9% (n = 29) chose the longer definition in December 2024, in Round 3 the longer form held 69% (n = 18) in February 2025, and in Round 4 the simpler form won 64% (n = 70) at a July 2025 conference (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
What happened and how the definitions were built
The PLOS ONE study used a mixed-methods Delphi design to answer the question: what should 'climate change acceptance' mean for undergraduate science students? (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
According to the PLOS ONE study, researchers first conducted a scoping review (October 2023 to February 2024) that identified 523 articles and extracted 3, 089 items to create a preliminary 14-construct framework used to seed expert interviews (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
According to the PLOS ONE study, the authors then triangulated pilot student data and four iterative rounds of educator interviews and surveys with a total of 210 participants between April 2024 and July 2025 to refine candidate definitions and test stability of response (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
Direct quotations from educator participants captured reasoning: one educator said, "it was the most comprehensive, " while another said, "It is very simple and straightforward. If someone responds in the negative, you can be sure that they understood the question and are disagreeing with it without reservation" (an educator participant, quoted in PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
Findings snapshot
| Date | Metric | Value | Implication |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2023–Feb 2024 | Articles reviewed (scoping review) | 523 articles, 3, 089 items, 2, 402 unique items | Supplied a 14-construct preliminary framework used to generate candidate definitions (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026) |
| Apr 2024–Jul 2025 | Delphi participants | 210 educators and stakeholders across rounds | Provided iterative expert validation and rationale to refine definitions (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026) |
| Dec 2024 (Round 2) | Top choice among 15 definitions | 50.9% (n = 29) selected the Anthropogenic + Mechanistic form | Initial preference for more mechanistic, detailed definition (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026) |
| Feb 2025 (Round 3) | Head-to-head choice (2 definitions) | 69% (n = 18) preferred the Anthropogenic + Mechanistic form | Mechanistic detail favored when depth was requested (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026) |
| Jul 2025 (Round 4) | Final conference round | 64% (n = 70) preferred the simpler Anthropogenic form | Simplicity and classroom utility drove final preference for one definition in some contexts (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026) |
| 25 Aug 2026 | Publication | PLOS ONE article DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0356374 | Results and two final definitions published open access (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026) |
Implications for university instructors and education researchers
The PLOS ONE study implies that educators and researchers must choose a definition that matches their measurement and curricular goals: use the simpler Anthropogenic definition for baseline belief screening and use the Anthropogenic + Mechanistic definition when mechanistic understanding is required (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
According to the PLOS ONE study, the Anthropogenic definition reads roughly as 'Climate change is happening and human behaviors are causing it, ' which the authors recommend for contexts where prior mechanistic knowledge is not assumed (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
According to the PLOS ONE study, the Anthropogenic + Mechanistic definition reads roughly as 'Climate change is happening, average temperatures and greenhouse gases are increasing globally, and human behaviors are causing it, ' which the authors recommend when instructors expect students to show mechanistic understanding (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
- If your study targets incoming undergraduates or the general public, the PLOS ONE study suggests the Anthropogenic definition is a pragmatic baseline (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
- If your learning objectives include mechanistic reasoning about greenhouse gases and temperature, the PLOS ONE study suggests the Anthropogenic + Mechanistic definition will align better with those outcomes (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
- The PLOS ONE study warns that conflating knowledge with acceptance is common and recommends researchers validate instruments against the chosen definition before drawing conclusions (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
How Evidano helps with measuring and operationalizing the definitions
Problem: Instruments are inconsistent → Solution: Thematic and content synthesis
Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents.
Evidano can ingest the 523-article scoping corpus style inputs described by the PLOS ONE study and automatically surface the 14 candidate constructs and frequency counts that the study derived (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
Use Evidano’s thematic analysis and hierarchical code visualizations to map existing instrument items to either the Anthropogenic or Anthropogenic + Mechanistic definitions and to document construct coverage for validity claims (see Evidano features).
Problem: Verbatim responses are hard to synthesize → Solution: Transcription and AI-assisted coding
Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents.
Evidano supports accurate transcription with custom dictionaries and PII redaction, enabling teams to transcribe Round 1 interviews like those in the PLOS ONE study and then apply reproducible codes to open responses.
Evidano’s speech-to-text pipeline can accelerate transcript generation for multi-round Delphi workflows and reduce manual overhead (see Evidano speech-to-text).
Problem: Comparing segments and definitions across samples → Solution: Cross-segment frequency and co-occurrence analysis
Evidano is an AI-powered qualitative data analysis platform that helps researchers analyze interviews, open-ended surveys, and documents.
Evidano automates cross-segment analyses so you can compare freshmen versus seniors or biology versus chemistry cohorts against the two definitions the PLOS ONE study produced, with counts and visual co-occurrence networks to support reproducible reporting.
Evidano outputs quantitative tables you can cite when arguing that an instrument covers the Anthropogenic constructs or the Anthropogenic + Mechanistic constructs.
FAQ: climate change acceptance definition
What are the two definitions of climate change acceptance identified by the PLOS ONE Delphi study?
Answer: The PLOS ONE study identified an 'Anthropogenic' definition and an 'Anthropogenic + Mechanistic' definition as relevant for undergraduate science students (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
The PLOS ONE study describes the Anthropogenic definition as 'Climate change is happening and human behaviors are causing it, ' and the Anthropogenic + Mechanistic definition as 'Climate change is happening, average temperatures and greenhouse gases are increasing globally, and human behaviors are causing it' (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
Which definition should an instructor use for a freshman-level course?
Answer: Use the Anthropogenic definition for freshman-level or entry surveys when you cannot assume mechanistic knowledge (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
The PLOS ONE study reports that some experts chose the simpler definition specifically because it reduces cognitive load and avoids conflating factual knowledge with baseline acceptance (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
Does adding mechanistic language improve measurement accuracy?
Answer: Adding mechanistic language can improve specificity but may also measure knowledge rather than acceptance, according to the PLOS ONE study (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
The PLOS ONE study found that experts sometimes conflated knowledge and acceptance when favoring mechanistic items; researchers should therefore validate instruments against the chosen definition to ensure construct alignment (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
How can a researcher test if their survey aligns with one of the definitions?
Answer: Test alignment by mapping each survey item to the definition’s constructs and reporting content coverage and frequency counts, as recommended by the PLOS ONE study (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
The PLOS ONE study used thematic coding and frequency counts across instruments; using reproducible coding and cross-segment comparisons will make validity claims transparent (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
Can these definitions apply beyond US undergraduates?
Answer: The PLOS ONE study cautions that definitions were developed from US literature and US educators and may need adaptation for international contexts (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
The PLOS ONE study lists demographic homogeneity and US-centered sampling as limitations and recommends further work to center diverse identities and international samples before broad generalization (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
Conclusion & Next Steps
The PLOS ONE study provides two practical definitions to resolve decades of inconsistent measurement and to guide educators and researchers in instrument selection (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
Researchers should map existing instruments to the Anthropogenic and Anthropogenic + Mechanistic definitions and report coverage, while educators should choose the definition that aligns with course learning objectives (PLOS ONE, published 25 August 2026).
If you analyze interviews, surveys, or instrument items at scale, Evidano can accelerate thematic coding, transcription, and cross-segment analysis to operationalize either definition (see Evidano features).
Next step: download or register to test mapping your instruments and transcripts today: Try Evidano for free.
Topics
- climate change acceptance definition
- acceptance of climate change undergraduates
- Delphi study climate acceptance
- measuring climate change acceptance
Keep reading
- Commentary on NewsTwo Definitions: Climate Change Acceptance for UndergradsHow a PLoS One Delphi study (Aug 25, 2026) defined climate change acceptance for undergraduate science students, and how AI-enabled qualitative analysis applies it.
- Commentary on NewsTwo Consensus Definitions: climate change acceptance definitionSummarizes the PLOS One Delphi study (published Aug 25, 2026) that produced two climate change acceptance definitions and shows AI-enabled qualitative methods to measure them.
- Commentary on NewsConsensus definitions: climate change acceptance definitionPLoS One (Aug 25, 2026) presents two consensus climate change acceptance definitions for undergraduates; see stats and how AI qualitative analysis accelerates survey design.