The Relationship between Climate Anxiety and Pro-Environment Behaviours

Abstract

Previous studies examining psychological distress associated with climate change have found cognitive, affective and behavioural influences. This distress, termed climate anxiety, is thought to be chronic in nature, and may result in long-lasting and significant negative impacts on mental health. The present study examined how climate anxiety may be impacting people’s frequency of pro-environment behaviours. To effectively measure participants’ behavioural frequency and preferences, we used a discrete choice experiment, which simulated a transport scenario where participants would have to make trade-offs between cost, time and eco-friendliness. A total of 256 participants (95 male, 161 female) completed the study. It was found that participants with moderate levels of climate anxiety had a higher frequency of pro-environment behaviours than participants with low or high levels of climate anxiety. Furthermore, participants with low or high levels of climate anxiety gave a higher preference for options that cost less or take less time. This evidence supports the hypothesis that moderate levels of climate anxiety may be optimal for pro-environmental behavioural response.