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Paper short abstract

This paper examines polarisation in Polish youth climate activism. As media amplify civil disobedience, shaping "radical" activist imaginaries, they trap movements in homogenous socioeconomic bubbles. Despite shared green values, clashing perceptions sustain affective distance, limiting outreach.

Paper long abstract

This paper examines youth environmental activism in Poland as a site of polarisation, where media-amplified imaginaries of civil disobedience and "radical" disruption shape everyday moral evaluation and symbolic boundary-making. In the post-communist context of low institutional trust, these movements, despite proclaiming inclusivity, often remain embedded in socioeconomically homogenous bubbles. Drawing on semi-structured interviews with Polish climate activists and focus groups with environmentally aware non-activist students, I demonstrate how relational and affective barriers, as much as strategic disagreement, shape non-participation.

The findings show media-mediated imaginaries of activism: non-activists, whose views are shaped by media emphasis on “controversial” strategies such as road blockades, perceive climate activism as homogeneous, costly and ineffective form of disruption, despite supporting environmental goals. They value pragmatic local initiatives (workshops, education) over confrontational, loud and "illogical" tactics, while activists, despite internal tactical diversity, prioritize symbolic action and systemic change. This perceptual chasm, with non-activists seeing the spectacle, and activists emphasizing values, amplifies affective barriers: non-activists feel uninvited, fear moral judgment, and sense impermeable "activist" boundaries.

The paper reveals activism's ambivalence - while disruptive tactics build identity for some activist groups, others reject civil disobedience entirely, yet both alienate potential allies through clashing imaginaries. Factors beyond political stance, such as symbolic boundaries, social media narratives, and divergent perceptions of individual versus collective climate responsibility, shape youth climate attitudes and fuel polarisation in Polish evolving activism landscape.