Changing Worlds (US): Psychological responses to the climate crisis in young people and their agency to build the world they hope to see

The project is a research study using an online survey of young US residents (16-24 year olds) focusing on psychological responses to climate change. The data were collected between November 2021 and January 2022. The aim of the study is to better understand climate distress and eco-anxiety, the role of direct exposure to climate impacts in psychological responses, the types of emotions they feel/associate with climate change, their sense of agency, the extent to which they engage in pro-environmental and activism behaviours, and if/how young people are adapting to the threat of climate change, and how it affects their future planning.

Keywords

climate change; climate distress; COVID-19; eco-anxiety; environmental psychology; future planning; psychological adaptation; survey research