“Bringing Children in a Burning World?” The Role of Climate Anxiety and Threat Perceptions in Childbearing Motivations of Emerging Adults in Switzerland

Abstract

This research investigates the relation between climate anxiety, threat perceptions for future generations, and childbearing motivations in childless emerging adults. Using a sample of 1211 Swiss college students aged 18–25, the study explores if threat perceptions mediate the relationship between climate anxiety and childbearing motivations. Results from structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that climate anxiety significantly predicted greater perceptions of threat, which in turn related to less positive childbearing motivations and more negative childbearing motivations. Specifically, the relationship between climate anxiety and childbearing motivations was partly to fully explained by threat perceptions, suggesting that worries about the future environment could be an important factor in emerging adults’ complex reproductive considerations. No gender moderation was found. These findings underscore the need for policy interventions that provide psychological support and targeted educational resources to assist young adults in navigating the complex interplay between climate anxiety, threat perceptions, and their decisions regarding childbearing.