Publication type
Journal Article
Authors
Publication date
May 12, 2025
Summary:
The global health community recognises climate change as a public health emergency due to its direct and indirect impacts on health and wellbeing. This study explores sociodemographic differences in climate change concern and pro-environmental behaviours by socioeconomic status, their association with wellbeing, and whether experiences of climate change (e.g. residing in flood-affected or temperature-changing areas) mediate wellbeing outcomes. Using data from Understanding Society, a national panel survey in England (2018/19, n = 24,950, age 16+), the study examined climate concern, 11 pro-environmental behaviours, satisfaction with these behaviours, and three wellbeing outcomes: life satisfaction, optimism, and psychological distress. Data were spatially linked with flood (2010–18) and summer temperature changes (2001–2020). Climate concern varied by sociodemographic factors, with older and disadvantaged groups most satisfied with their behaviours. Individuals satisfied with their environmental actions reported better wellbeing, while dissatisfaction was linked to distress and worse life satisfaction. However, pro-environmental behaviours themselves were not associated with wellbeing. Residing in flood-affected or temperature-changing areas also showed no link to wellbeing. Addressing wellbeing impacts related to climate concern requires targeted mitigation strategies, especially for those dissatisfied with their environmental actions. Pro-environmental behaviours could act to mitigate against the potential adverse effects of eco-anxiety.
Published in
Sustainable Environment
Volume
Volume: 11
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/27658511.2025.2500182
ISSN
27658511
Subjects
Notes
Open Access
© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. The terms on which this article has been published allow the posting of the Accepted Manuscript in a repository by the author(s) or with their consent.
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