Nov 03: College undergraduates are anxious about climate change, with many feeling powerless and frustrated about Earth’s future, yet resources to help students cope are in short supply, according to new interdisciplinary University of Utah research. The sentiment isn’t limited to students studying the environment.
“They’re not alone,” said Jennifer Follstad Shah, associate professor in the university’s School of Environment, Society & Sustainability. “There’s a lot of students feeling that way, and likely a lot of adults feeling that way.” Her findings appear in the journal Sustainability.
The research led by Follstad Shah and other Utah faculty surveyed 547 University of Utah students about their emotional responses to climate change and the factors that influenced their feelings. More than half reported frequently feeling powerless or frustrated.
The team released a companion study last year based on the same survey data investigating ways students cope with climate anxiety. Led by Monika Lohani, associate professor of psychology, this study found that students found relief by spending time in nature, hanging out with friends and spending time with pets, engaging in self-care, changing their behavior to lessen their climate impact and learning more about climate change.
“The knowledge is empowering them to understand the intricacies. That makes them not feel hopeless,” said Lohani, a research associate with the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU). “All the progress in terms of technology that has come out to combat the carbon footprint actually made them feel more hopeful.”
Both studies argue that universities should expand support services to help students manage the emotional burdens associated with potentially destructive environmental change driven by reliance on fossil fuels.
Drivers of climate anxiety
Researchers surveyed students enrolled in three environmental studies courses and one communication course.
Students rated how often climate change made them feel certain emotions. In the study led by Follstad Shah, powerlessness and frustration were the most reported, with 54% of students reporting that they felt powerless frequently or a lot, and 55% said the same about frustration.
Just 4% of students said they felt hopeful “A lot,” though 40% reported at least some hope when other response categories were counted. Students who reported more general anxiety also tended to experience greater anxiety over climate. The researchers cautioned that the findings do not establish causal connections between climate change and anxiety.
“It may be that climate anxiety is a contributor to general anxiety, as well as the converse,” Follstad Shah said.
Students majoring in environmental studies reported higher climate anxiety than other students, even when they had similar levels of general anxiety. However, a student’s major was not a significant predictor once the researchers considered other factors, such as how often students encountered climate information, whether they considered climate change a personal issue and their political views.
Students who identified climate change as a top personal concern and who held more liberal political views tended to report greater levels of climate anxiety. Exposure to climate change information in class and online was also associated with anxiety, while information from friends, family and co-workers was not.
Lohani’s paper documented “adaptive” and “maladaptive” responses students have to the climate crisis. Some students said worry over climate made them shut down. One wrote, “Sometimes I just don’t feel like doing anything at all because it makes me so anxious.”
“People, often a majority, don’t know what to do with it,” Lohani said. “That is problematic for many reasons. Those who are overwhelmed, they might be catastrophizing or using avoidance or distraction, which ultimately is not good for their well-being, or efforts to address the climate change crisis. Those who are apathetic towards it, that is not bad for their well-being in the short run, but ultimately it is affecting them and their community.”
Supporting students burdened with climate anxiety
Follstad Shah and Lohani argued universities should expand mental health resources to address climate anxiety more directly.
Surveyed students told researchers that they want more opportunities to discuss climate change with peers and mentors. Follstad Shah and Lohani both highlighted the Good Grief Network, co-founded by LaUra Schmidt, a 2014 graduate of Utah’s Environmental Humanities program. This nonprofit harnesses peer support to help people and communities experiencing distress from social and ecological injustices.
The researchers encouraged students to get involved by asking faculty about climate research or internships. Students said they cope with anxiety by volunteering with advocacy groups. “Take part in environmentally friendly activities. Participate in community clean-up activities, volunteer for environmental issues, and join local projects,” said one student cited in Lohani’s paper.
Such experiences help students gain a sense of agency, according to the researchers. “Don’t be afraid to talk about it and let people know that you feel this way,” Follstad Shah said. “There’s power in those bonds.”
The researchers note that these findings represent just a snapshot in time and a specific undergraduate experience at a major university in an arid Western state where climate impacts are very noticeable. About 66% of respondents were female, 69% were White and 63% leaned left politically. The authors recommend follow-up studies that include students across more academic majors, backgrounds and universities to better understand the drivers of climate anxiety and how to help students manage it.
