Fracking is a controversial process that requires both chemical and political knowledge in order for young people to make informed decisions and hold industry and government to account. It does not appear in the English chemistry curriculum and little is known about young people's beliefs about fracking, nor of their attitudes towards it. In this study we focus on young people in schools or colleges within a 20 mile radius of the nearest urban area to a fracking site in England. An in-depth qualitative focus group study was used to investigate the knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of 84 young people aged 16–19 in 4 schools and colleges. Young people reported knowledge about the process of fracking and to a lesser extent its social, economic and environmental impacts and associated regulation. Formal education was an important, if limited, source of information that tended to be trusted by young people. Negative and ambivalent attitudes towards fracking dominated, with the use of economic, environmental and social frames used by young people to inform their responses to fracking. Support for fracking hinged mainly upon energy supply and energy sovereignty. Fracking was opposed because of detrimental environmental and economic impacts, the impacts of associated protests and because of the political handling of decisions about fracking. The exclusion of young people, and the population of the area more broadly, from participation in decision-making has led to young people's disaffection with political processes and cynicism about the relationship between government and industry. The case of fracking demonstrates the importance of creating space for attention to political processes in chemistry education, and for engaging with young people about energy interventions in their community.

中文翻译：

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牺牲区的水力压裂观点：年轻人的知识，信仰和态度

压裂是一个有争议的过程，需要化学和政治知识，才能使年轻人做出明智的决定，并使行业和政府承担责任。它没有出现在英语化学课程中，对于年轻人对水力压裂的看法以及他们对水力压裂的态度所知甚少。在这项研究中，我们关注的是学校或大学里的年轻人，他们在距英国水力压裂点最近的市区20英里范围内。一项深入的定性焦点小组研究用于调查4所学校和学院中84位16-19岁年轻人的知识，信念和态度。年轻人报告了有关压裂过程的知识，并在较小程度上报告了其对社会，经济和环境的影响以及相关法规。正规教育是很重要的（如果有限制的话），倾向于被年轻人信任的信息来源。对压裂的负面和矛盾态度占主导地位，年轻人利用经济，环境和社会框架来告知他们对压裂的反应。对压裂的支持主要取决于能源供应和能源主权。由于环境和经济方面的不利影响，相关抗议活动的影响以及有关压裂问题的决策的政治处理，压裂问题遭到了反对。年轻人被排除在决策之外，更广泛的地区的人口被排除在决策之外，这导致年轻人对政治进程和对政府与产业之间关系的冷嘲热讽不满。