Psychological and emotional responses to climate change among young people worldwide: Differences associated with gender, age, and country

Recently published research (Hickman et al., 2021) described concern and anxiety about climate change among young people aged 16-25 in ten countries around the world. Using the same dataset, this paper examines differences associated with gender and age. There were small but consistent gender differences, with female respondents expressing greater levels of concern and negative emotions, while male respondents were more optimistic and expressed greater faith in government. Within this narrow age group, there was some evidence that concern and negative emotions about climate change were higher among older respondents compared to those who were younger. There were complex differences among countries; in general, respondents in the Philippines, India, and Nigeria report a stronger psychological impact of climate change than respondents in the United States and Finland. These results help to describe the extent and patterns of climate anxiety worldwide in an age range that is relatively understudied.