The palliative function of climate change denial is stronger in more exposed countries

In our multinational study, we tested whether the palliative effect of climate change denialdepends on the local level of climate change exposure. Building upon the literature of ecoanxiety and the palliative function of ideological beliefs, we assumed that the acknowledgement of climate change intensifies eco-anxiety while climate change denial eases it. More importantly, we also assumed that the extent of this ease is larger in countries beingmore threatened by the harmful consequences of climate change. To test this assumption, weanalyzed data collected from representative samples of 23 European countries withinEuropean Social Survey Programme, and additional data on the actual exposure of thesecountries to the effects of climate change. Results of our multilevel models showed thatclimate change denial is related to lower eco-anxiety, and this negative relationship is stronger at high (vs. low) levels of climate change exposure. Our results support the general principle stating that the harsher reality is, the larger emotional benefit can be achieved by its distorted perception and denial. This psychological defense mechanism can partly explain why many people are reluctant to fight against climate change even in countries that are threatened by it.