Climate anxiety, wellbeing and pro-environmental action: correlates of negative emotional responses to climate change in 32 countries
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Date
2022
Authors
Ogunbode, Charles A.
Doran, Rouven
Hanss, Daniel
Ojala, Maria
Salmela-Aro, Katariina
van den Broek, Karlijn L.
Bhullar, Navjot
Aquino, Sibele D.
Marot, Tiago
Schermer, Julie Aitken
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Abstract
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. © 2022 The Authors
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Ogunbode, C. A., Doran, R., Hanss, D., Ojala, M., Salmela-Aro, K., van den Broek, K. L., ... & Karasu, M. (2022). Climate anxiety, wellbeing and pro-environmental action: Correlates of negative emotional responses to climate change in 32 countries. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 84, 101887.