Climate Change and Eco-Anxiety in the US: Predictors, Correlates, and Potential Solutions

ABSTRACT Climate change has many adverse human health effects, including increased anxiety. However, eco-anxiety may also motivate climate action. An online survey was developed and distributed to examine factors associated with eco-anxiety. Logistic regression analysis showed that significant predictors of eco-anxiety include greater media exposure to climate change information, more frequent discussions about climate change with friends and family, the perception that climate change will soon impact one personally, being younger, and being female. Additional analyses suggested that ecoanxiety was associated with a range of both positive and negative emotional impacts including motivation, interest, sadness, and tension. Eco-anxiety was also associated with greater likelihood to engage in environmental behaviors such as recycling. Volunteering for environmental causes and accessing straightforward information with less scientific jargon were found to have particular potential for anxiety reduction among the eco-anxious. The research suggests practical strategies to reduce eco-anxiety while retaining engagement in mitigating climate change.