UTFacultiesBMSDept HIBPCRSInformation for studentsNew students assignmentsNew Master Thesis AssignmentsHow much do UT students worry about climate risks, experience anxiety, and how can we help them gain agency?

How much do UT students worry about climate risks, experience anxiety, and how can we help them gain agency?

Background

Climate change is a pressing concern, and particularly young people with a long future ahead of them, will be subject to its consequences in their life time. In light of this, young people around the world have been found to be worried, some of them even experience anxiety in relation to this, and many are searching for how to contribute to lessening the problem.

Among this group, university students take a special place, because they may form their curricula to become knowledgeable about the problems and potential solutions, and can have an important contribution to alleviating the problems after being graduated. Understanding their level of concern and anxiety and possibilities to alleviate these, and at the same time supporting them towards building valuable curricula and taking climate actions is highly valuable.

This research, supervised by PCRS teachers and the Climate Centre, aims to gain insights into questions such as how prevalent worry about climate risks and climate anxiety is among UT students, what underlies it, how we can help students cope with these feelings and how can we increase their ability to take part in effective climate action.

Research questions

How much do UT students worry about climate risks?

How prevalent is climate anxiety among UT students?

What underlies climate risk perception and anxiety?

In which ways can we help reduce students’ climate anxiety?

How can UT students be empowered to contribute to climate action?

Type of research

Survey research

Keywords

Climate change, risk perception, climate anxiety, pro-environmental behaviour, education, climate action

Information

If you are interested in this topic, please contact Steven Watson via s.j.watson@utwente.nl.

Literature

Hope, Coping and Eco-Anxiety: Young People’s Mental Health in a Climate-Impacted Australia

Supporting young people with climate anxiety: mitigation, adaptation, and resilience - The Lancet Planetary Health

Climate emotions and anxiety among young people in Canada: A national survey and call to action - ScienceDirect

Climate anxiety: What predicts it and how is it related to climate action? - ScienceDirect

"Climate anxiety, pro-environmental action and wellbeing: antecedents a" by Charles A. Ogunbode, Rouven Doran et al.