Social Media and Climate Change Perceptions among Undergraduates at Babcock University: A Survey of Knowledge, Attitudes, Intentions and Opinion Formation

Social media platforms are integral to young people's daily lives and increasingly shape public discourse on global issues, including climate change. The research investigates how undergraduates at Babcock University's Faculty of Science and Technology in Ogun State utilise Twitter, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube to enhance their understanding of climate change, develop their knowledge and awareness, shape their attitudes and behavioural plans, and express their opinions about climate change. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the study targeted a population of 1,312 students and obtained a final valid sample of 288 respondents (307 questionnaires distributed; 288 valid returns), determined initially by Taro Yamane's formula. Data were collected using a validated, structured questionnaire (pilot tested; Cronbach's α reported) and analysed using descriptive statistics and linear regression. The regression analyses indicate no statistically significant association between social media engagement and students' knowledge/awareness (B = −0.112, p = 0.084), attitudes (B = 0.032, p = 0.680), intentions to act (B = 0.021, p = 0.769), or understanding/opinions (B = 0.080, p = 0.315). These results suggest that, within this private-university sample and during the study period, the current experience of social media use by these undergraduates did not translate into measurable gains in climate knowledge, pro-environmental attitudes, or stronger intentions to act. The paper discusses possible explanations (information quality, selective exposure, platform affordances, and misinformation) and recommends targeted climate literacy interventions, improved content curation, and institutional collaborations with credible climate communicators to increase the effectiveness of social media in promoting climate engagement among students.