The role of emotions on policy support and environmental engagement

Research indicated that emotions experienced in relation to the climate crisis are important predictors of environmental attitudes and behaviours. However, the affective milieu and societal appraisal have been changing rapidly over the past years. Thus, more research is required to identify the relevant emotional drives and their contextual impact on governance scenarios.Here we presented respondents with three sets of proposed United Kingdom environmental policies in a cross-sectional online web survey whereby respondents (n=260) rated their support (or opposition) for the Conservative Government’s manifesto, the Climate and Ecology Bill (C&E), and the Green New Deal Bill. We found that respondents who reported higher levels of anxiety and worry were generally more prone to support environmental policies. Respondents who reported the greatest intensity of disappointment were more likely to support the C&E bill. The support expressed for the C&E policies mediated the relationship between active engagement, and both worry and disappointment, respectively. Our findings dovetail with previous literature and provide new insights into the analysis of the complex relationship between emotions, policy support, and environmental engagement.