TY - JOUR
T1 - Climate anxiety, wellbeing and pro-environmental action
T2 - correlates of negative emotional responses to climate change in 32 countries
AU - Ogunbode, Charles A.
AU - Doran, Rouven
AU - Hanss, Daniel
AU - Ojala, Maria
AU - Salmela-Aro, Katariina
AU - van den Broek, Karlijn L.
AU - Bhullar, Navjot
AU - Aquino, Sibele D.
AU - Marot, Tiago
AU - Schermer, Julie Aitken
AU - Wlodarczyk, Anna
AU - Lu, Su
AU - Jiang, Feng
AU - Maran, Daniela Acquadro
AU - Yadav, Radha
AU - Ardi, Rahkman
AU - Chegeni, Razieh
AU - Ghanbarian, Elahe
AU - Zand, Somayeh
AU - Najafi, Reza
AU - Park, Joonha
AU - Tsubakita, Takashi
AU - Tan, Chee Seng
AU - Chukwuorji, John Bosco Chika
AU - Ojewumi, Kehinde Aderemi
AU - Tahir, Hajra
AU - Albzour, Mai
AU - Reyes, Marc Eric S.
AU - Lins, Samuel
AU - Enea, Violeta
AU - Volkodav, Tatiana
AU - Sollar, Tomas
AU - Navarro-Carrillo, Ginés
AU - Torres-Marín, Jorge
AU - Mbungu, Winfred
AU - Ayanian, Arin H.
AU - Ghorayeb, Jihane
AU - Onyutha, Charles
AU - Lomas, Michael J.
AU - Helmy, Mai
AU - Martínez-Buelvas, Laura
AU - Bayad, Aydin
AU - Karasu, Mehmet
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 The Authors
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - This study explored the correlates of climate anxiety in a diverse range of national contexts. We analysed cross-sectional data gathered in 32 countries (N = 12,246). Our results show that climate anxiety is positively related to rate of exposure to information about climate change impacts, the amount of attention people pay to climate change information, and perceived descriptive norms about emotional responding to climate change. Climate anxiety was also positively linked to pro-environmental behaviours and negatively linked to mental wellbeing. Notably, climate anxiety had a significant inverse association with mental wellbeing in 31 out of 32 countries. In contrast, it had a significant association with pro-environmental behaviour in 24 countries, and with environmental activism in 12 countries. Our findings highlight contextual boundaries to engagement in environmental action as an antidote to climate anxiety, and the broad international significance of considering negative climate-related emotions as a plausible threat to wellbeing.
AB - This study explored the correlates of climate anxiety in a diverse range of national contexts. We analysed cross-sectional data gathered in 32 countries (N = 12,246). Our results show that climate anxiety is positively related to rate of exposure to information about climate change impacts, the amount of attention people pay to climate change information, and perceived descriptive norms about emotional responding to climate change. Climate anxiety was also positively linked to pro-environmental behaviours and negatively linked to mental wellbeing. Notably, climate anxiety had a significant inverse association with mental wellbeing in 31 out of 32 countries. In contrast, it had a significant association with pro-environmental behaviour in 24 countries, and with environmental activism in 12 countries. Our findings highlight contextual boundaries to engagement in environmental action as an antidote to climate anxiety, and the broad international significance of considering negative climate-related emotions as a plausible threat to wellbeing.
KW - Climate activism
KW - Climate change
KW - Climate change anxiety
KW - Emotions
KW - Pro-environmental behaviour
KW - Wellbeing
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85142198148&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85142198148&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101887
DO - 10.1016/j.jenvp.2022.101887
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85142198148
SN - 1522-9610
VL - 84
JO - Journal of Environmental Psychology
JF - Journal of Environmental Psychology
M1 - 101887
ER -
