Cause-and-effect essays help students strengthen their writing skills, while teaching critical thinking, logic, and the art of persuasion. Good cause-and-effect essay topics are clear, engaging, and relevant to students and their interests. Our big list covers a huge array of subjects, each broken down into elementary, middle school, and high school topics, making it easy for every one of your students to find the right essay topic for them!
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Science and Environment Cause & Effect Essay Topics
Elementary School
- Why do trees shed their leaves, and how does this help them survive?
- How does air pollution affect people’s health?
- What are the causes and effects of animals losing their habitats?
- How do wildfires start, and what happens if they are not managed?
- How do cars affect the environment?
- How does recycling help protect the Earth?
- What are the effects of cutting down too many trees?
- How does littering affect animals and people?
Middle School
- How does pollution affect ocean life?
- How does rising sea temperature affect marine animals?
- What are the causes and effects of plastic waste in oceans?
- What are the effects of using renewable energy?
- How does climate change affect weather patterns?
- How does urbanization affect wildlife?
High School
- What are the effects of human behavior on global warming?
- How does biodiversity loss affect ecosystems and humans?
- What are the causes and effects of melting permafrost?
- What are the causes and effects of flooding in Antarctica?
- How does deforestation in Brazil affect the environment?
- How does overpopulation affect natural resources?
- What has been the impact of DNA on crime scene processing?
- What are the effects of widespread vaccination on global health?
Technology and Social Media Cause & Effect Essay Topics
Elementary School
- How do video games affect kids’ behavior?
- How does using tablets affect young children?
- How does using a smartphone at night affect sleep?
- Why might teachers ban cell phones in class, and what are the effects?
- What happens when kids spend too much time online?
- How does using technology help students learn?
- How does too much screen time affect friendships?
Middle School
- What are the effects of social media on middle school students?
- How does technology affect productivity at school?
- What are the causes and effects of cyberbullying?
- How has online shopping affected local stores?
- How do photo filters affect young people’s self-esteem?
- How does too much screen time affect friendships?
- What are the effects of video games on sleep?
- How does instant messaging affect communication skills?
High School
- How does social media influence political extremism?
- What are the benefits and drawbacks of owning a smartphone?
- How has TikTok changed competition among social media platforms?
- What are the effects of AI-generated content on social media?
- What impact do smartphones have on marriages and families?
- What are the causes and effects of texting while driving?
- What effect has the rise of “influencers” had on Hollywood and celebrity culture?
Culture and Social Issues Cause & Effect Essay Topics
Elementary School
- What are the effects of bullying on students?
- How does growing up poor affect children?
- What are the effects of wearing school uniforms?
- How does TV influence children’s behavior?
- How does kindness spread from one person to another?
- What happens when kids don’t share?
- How does helping others make people feel?
Middle School
- What are the causes of substance abuse in young people, and what are the effects?
- How does lack of education contribute to discrimination?
- What are the causes and effects of homelessness?
- How does immigration affect host countries?
- What are the effects of body shaming on young people?
- How does peer pressure influence decision-making?
- What are the effects of stereotypes in movies and TV shows?
- How does volunteering affect young people?
High School
- What are the effects of the death penalty on social justice?
- How does religion influence social values and behavior?
- What impact does LGBTQ+ representation in media have on society?
- What are the political effects of school shootings?
- What are the impacts of student debt on young adults?
- What were the lasting social effects of the AIDS epidemic?
- What are the effects of banning abortion in the United States?
- What has been the impact of marriage equality in the United States?
- What are the causes and effects of inflation on society?
- What are the effects of cancel culture on public discourse?
Sports Cause & Effect Essay Topics
Elementary School
- How does playing on a sports team help kids make friends?
- What are the effects of exercise on kids’ health and mood?
- How do sports help kids develop leadership skills?
- How does practicing a sport every day affect performance?
- What happens if athletes don’t warm up?
- How does teamwork affect winning or losing?
Middle School
- What drives people to participate in extreme sports?
- How do e-sports change the way we think about sports?
- What are the effects of concussions on athletes?
- How can sports help with character development?
- How do sports injuries affect young athletes?
- How does practicing regularly affect athletic success?
- What are the effects of competition on self-esteem?
High School
- What are the effects of doping on professional sports?
- How did baseball become an iconic American sport, and what cultural effects did it have?
- How has globalization changed modern sports?
- What impact do race biases have on sports?
- What were the driving forces behind the first Olympics, and what effects did they have?
- What impact do athletes’ political or social statements have on society?
History Cause & Effect Essay Topics
Elementary School
- What were the causes and effects of the American Revolution?
- What caused the first Thanksgiving, and what were its effects?
- Why did pioneers move west, and what happened as a result?
- What were the effects of the American Civil War on families?
- What caused the building of the Great Wall of China, and what happened afterward?
- Why did the Wright brothers build the first airplane, and what were the effects?
- What caused the Titanic to sink, and what were the effects?
- What were the effects of Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech?
Middle School
- What were the causes and effects of the Salem Witch Trials?
- What events led to the fall of the Roman Empire, and what were the results?
- What were the effects of the Great Depression on women?
- What were the causes and effects of Pearl Harbor?
- What caused the Dust Bowl, and what were its effects?
- What were the effects of the Trail of Tears?
- What were the effects of World War I on civilians?
High School
- What were the lasting effects of the Civil Rights Movement?
- What caused the fall of the Berlin Wall, and what were the effects?
- What lasting impacts did 9/11 have on U.S. society and foreign policy?
- What was the cultural impact of the Spanish-American War?
- What were the causes and effects of the Women’s Liberation Movement?
- What were the effects of European colonialism in Africa or Asia?
- What led to the rise of ISIS, and what effects did it have globally?
- What were the causes and effects of the Vietnam War?
- What were the causes and consequences of the Rwandan genocide?
- What were the major effects of one U.S. president’s policies (choose one)?
Mental Health Cause & Effect Essay Topics
Elementary School
- How does stress affect the body?
- What are the effects of having a pet or therapy animal?
- How does exercise affect mental health?
- What happens when kids don’t get enough sleep?
- How does laughing affect your body and mood?
- How does spending time outside affect a person’s mood?
Middle School
- How does social anxiety affect young people?
- What are the effects of divorce on kids and teens?
- How does witnessing violence affect mental health?
- What are the causes and effects of panic attacks?
- How does insomnia affect mental health?
- How does journaling affect mental health?
- What are the effects of meditation on stress?
High School
- What are the effects of high academic pressure on student mental health?
- How can military service lead to PTSD?
- How did the COVID-19 pandemic affect global mental health?
- What are the causes and effects of workplace stress?
- What are the causes of rising anxiety in modern society?
- How does childhood trauma impact childhood development?
- What impacts does stress have on the immune system?
Current Events Cause & Effect Essay Topics
Elementary School
- Choose a recent community or school event. What were its causes and effects?
- Think of a news story about helping others. What caused it, and what effects did it have?
- Pick a news story about the environment. What were the causes and effects?
- How does a new rule or law in your community affect people?
- Choose a story about weather in your area. What caused it, and what effects did it have?
- Pick a recent event from the news. How did it start, and what changed because of it?
Middle School
- What are the effects of a local public health or education campaign?
- What are the causes and effects of migration today?
- How does raising the minimum wage affect workers and businesses?
- How does misinformation affect elections?
- How do natural disasters affect communities?
- What are the effects of renewable energy use on the economy?
- How does fast fashion affect the environment?
High School
- What are the causes and effects of political polarization?
- How does gerrymandering affect elections?
- What are the causes and effects of fake news?
- What are the effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict on global citizens?
- What is the impact of international aid on poverty and health?
- Why do some countries pursue nuclear weapons, and what are the global effects?
- How does climate change influence migration patterns?
Education Cause & Effect Essay Topics
Elementary School
- What are the effects of having a good teacher?
- What are the effects of homework on students?
- What are the effects of learning a foreign language in school?
- What happens when kids read every day?
- How does sitting near the front of the classroom affect learning?
- How does missing school affect grades?
- How does group work affect learning?
Middle School
- What are the causes and effects of student burnout?
- What are the effects of single-sex classrooms or schools?
- How does standardized testing affect student learning?
- How does remote learning affect students’ opportunities?
- What are the effects of longer school days?
- How do school clubs affect student confidence?
- How does having a favorite subject affect learning motivation?
High School
- How do school funding disparities affect students?
- What are the causes and effects of student loan debt?
- What are the causes and effects of low graduation rates?
- What are the effects of AI in classrooms?
- How did the COVID-19 pandemic change education?
Don’t forget to download your free graphic organizers!
This set of organizers offers a variety of ways to help students draw connections between causes and effects, including multiple effects from one cause, and multiple causes of one effect. They’ll give students a leg up as they begin outlining and drafting their cause and effect essays!