Psychological responses, mental health, and sense of agency for the dual challenges of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic in young people in the UK: an online survey study

Lawrance, Emma; Jennings, Neil; Kioupi, Vasiliki; Thompson, Rhiannon; Diffey, James; Vercammen, Ans

doi:10.1016/s2542-5196(22)00172-3

Cited by 46 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…Recent research has demonstrated that climate anxiety is an increasingly common experience, and while certainly not restricted to, appears to be especially prominent among younger generations (5,8,15,39,40). We have previously reported on young people's experiences with and feelings about climate change as compared to the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating that, in spite of the more direct impact on their day-to-day lives, pandemic worries were -to some extent -overshadowed by young people's continuing concern about climate change (10). The current study queried additional data obtained from this extensive online survey conducted in 2020 for a more in-depth investigation of the factors that contribute to the experience of 'climate distress' among young people in the UK.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Furthermore, the data represent a unique snapshot of young people's thoughts and feelings around climate change taken in the context of a particularly challenging socio-economic time, i.e. at the height of pandemic restrictions in the UK (10). This unique set of circumstances will likely have influenced responses, particularly with respect to young people's hopes for the future.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The research we report here is part of a larger study that was designed to investigate young people's psychological responses, mental health, agency, behavioural engagement and their visions for the future in the context of co-occurring global crises; the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change (10).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Vercammen¹,

Lawrance²,

Oswald³

2023

Preprint

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In this mixed methods study, which complements an earlier publication (https://doi.org/10.1016/S2542-5196(22)00172-3), we delve deeper into the experience of ‘climate distress’ among UK residents aged 16-24 (N=539). We report on data collected from an online survey assessing general mental health, subjective wellbeing, and climate distress using existing psychometric scales. We also included novel questions assessing positive and negative life impacts of climate change, open-ended questions on aspirations and priorities for the future, and engagement in pro-environmental and climate actions. In addition to quantitative results, we analysed free-text responses to two open-ended questions about respondents' hopes for the future, and their experience with climate change and actions in response to it.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Vercammen¹,

Lawrance²,

Oswald³

2023

Preprint

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“…People’s perceptions of COVID-19 risk are influenced by the danger it poses to their lives and health, which in turn influences their coping strategies and behavioral changes ( Shulman et al, 2022 ). In addition to having a significant impact on the normal functioning of society, COVID-19 has also had profound effects on human social cognition and emotions ( Sun et al, 2021b ; Lawrance et al, 2022 ).…”

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In addition, human arrogance and excessive claims of nature have led to an imbalance in the relationship between humans and nature, which has resulted in the COVID-19 pandemic. Consumers will be upset when they see the destruction of the ecological environment and serious social consequences, believe that humans are responsible for it, and feel guilty for not taking action to improve the environment ( Lawrance et al, 2022 ). To alleviate this sense of guilt, individuals may engage in compensatory behaviors, such as green purchasing and pro-environmental behavior.…”

Section: Literature Review and Hypothesismentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of COVID-19 risk perception on pro-environmental behavior of Chinese consumers: Perspectives from affective event theory

Zhou

2023

Front. Psychol.

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IntroductionCOVID-19 has altered human cognition and changed the cultural values of society. However, there has not been much debate among scholars about whether these above changes have led to an increase in pro-environmental behavior (PEB) of Chinese consumers.MethodsA comprehensive model was developed based on affective event theory. An online questionnaire was distributed, and 501 usable questionnaires were collected. In addition, two complementary approaches were employed: partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) and necessary condition analysis (NCA).ResultsThe PLS-SEM results showed that COVID-19 risk perception, nostalgia, the awe of nature, and attitude were found to have a positive effect on PEB; and the moderating effect of power distance belief (PD) between nostalgia (NO), attitude (AT) and PEB was confirmed. According to the NCA results, AT and NO are necessary conditions for the PEB of consumers.DiscussionThis study provides deeper insight into the understanding of consumers’ pro-environmental behavior in the context of COVID-19 through the combined use of PLS-SEM and NCA.

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Social tipping and climate change: The moderating role of social capital in bridging the gap between awareness and action

Kaçani,

Kokthi,

López‐Bonilla

et al. 2024

J of Intl Development

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Bridging the gap between awareness and action on environmental issues such as climate change often requires understanding the moderating roles of individual trust, institutional trust and civic engagement. This paper explores how social capital, through generalaised trust, trust in institutions and civic engagement, can either strengthen or weaken the agency on climate change on environmental behaviour. Linking climate change awareness to environmental behaviour through the mediation of perceived changes in quality of life is the chosen approach to explore the role of social capital. The results suggest that low levels of trust, whether interpersonal or institutional, reduce an individual's sense of agency by firstly reducing the impact of climate change awareness on quality of life, changing perceptions and consequently reducing environmental behaviour. Greater trust in institutions produces a stronger effect of climate change awareness on willingness to pay. On the other hand, civic engagement shows a significant effect when taxes are considered. The study suggests that the impact of social capital on environmental payments varies according to the type of payment (voluntary vs. mandatory). The mapping of the role of social capital in reducing the agency of climate change awareness in quality‐of‐life changes should be further explored, as the latter has proven to be a promising way to address climate change in developed and developing countries.

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Psychological responses, mental health, and sense of agency for the dual challenges of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic in young people in the UK: an online survey study

Cited by 46 publications

References 45 publications

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

Psycho-social factors associated with climate distress, hope and behavioural intentions in young UK residents

The effect of COVID-19 risk perception on pro-environmental behavior of Chinese consumers: Perspectives from affective event theory

Social tipping and climate change: The moderating role of social capital in bridging the gap between awareness and action

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