Can Climate Anxiety and Awareness Drive Academic Behaviour in Higher Education?

Climate change is one of the most pressing global challenges that requires urgent action from individuals, organizations, and institutions. In the context of higher education, students, professors, and researchers play a crucial role in advancing climate action through their learning, teaching, and research endeavours. However, we know little about the factors that influence their engagement and commitment to climate and sustainability action. This study aims to fill this gap by identifying and analysing the specific factors that influence climate action among students and staff in higher education, with the objective of developing effective strategies to enhance their involvement. The study draws on the results of an online survey in which 9121 students and academics from six universities in Europe and Latin America participated. The results show that climate education and research demonstrated associations with early and mid-career researchers, duration of work/study, and academic discipline, with engineering staff and students showing the highest level of involvement. Moreover, we found that climate anxiety and awareness of climate research groups significantly explain academic behaviour among students and academics. These findings inform targeted approaches to mobilize action within higher education institutions by focusing on the identified influencing factors. The outcomes emphasize the criticality of enhancing climate literacy and sustainability initiatives within higher education through tailored strategies that address these key factors. Higher education institutions are responsible for incorporating climate education, research, and sustainable practices to address the urgent issues of sustainability and climate change.