As mentioned, collective intelligence projects breed greater awareness, interest and understanding of climate issues for participants. For example, interest in the climate crisis rose by 15 percent among participants in the Global Climate Assembly, convened for the Conference of Parties in 2020. There is also evidence that participating in data gathering or more experiential initiatives like simulations can help sensitize people to the importance and urgency of climate change and in some cases, leads to adoption of more pro-environmental behaviors. These impacts are typically reported by citizen science initiatives that work with young people where there is a big emphasis on learning.

Participating in data collection and analysis can also help individuals develop useful digital skills and build a critical understanding of how to use data as evidence for action. Beyond these technical competencies, collective intelligence initiatives often offer additional opportunities for skill development, for example in communication or advocacy. For example, the Plant for the Planet project has trained over 95,000 young people worldwide in advocacy skills through a combination of online and in person workshops. The COLLECT project, which focuses on tracking marine litter, has also supported young people to develop new skills through tailored resources such as step-by-step manuals and YouTube tutorials.

Finally, although relatively few collective intelligence initiatives measure it consistently, a few have reported that involving people in monitoring biodiversity increases their belief in the efficacy of climate action at individual level. Research suggests that this is an important prerequisite to pro-environmental behavior change.