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Media Exposure to Climate Change, Anxiety, and Efficacy Beliefs in a Sample of Italian University Students

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  • Daniela Acquadro Maran

    (Department of Psychology, Università di Torino, Via Verdi 10, 10124 Torino, Italy)

  • Tatiana Begotti

    (Department of Psychology, Università di Torino, Via Verdi 10, 10124 Torino, Italy)

Abstract

The climate crisis poses a serious threat to the health and well-being of individuals. For many, climate change knowledge is derived from indirect exposure to information transmitted through the media. Such content can elicit a variety of emotional responses, including anger, sadness, despair, fear, and guilt. Worry and anxiety are especially common responses, usually referred to as “climate anxiety”. The main objectives of this study were to analyze how exposure to climate change through the media relates to climate anxiety and individual and collective self-efficacy, and to evaluate the relationship between climate anxiety and efficacy beliefs. A total of 312 Italian university students (aged 18–26 years) participated in the research by filling out an anonymous questionnaire. Participants reported being exposed several times per week to information about climate change, especially from social media, newspapers, and television programs. Moreover, the results showed that the attention paid to information about climate change was not only positively related to climate anxiety, but also to individual and collective self-efficacy. Most notably, participants’ efficacy beliefs were found to be positively related to climate anxiety. This somewhat controversial finding stresses that, in the context of pro-environmental behavior changes, a moderate level of anxiety could engender feelings of virtue, encouraging people to rethink actions with negative ecological impacts.

Suggested Citation

  • Daniela Acquadro Maran & Tatiana Begotti, 2021. "Media Exposure to Climate Change, Anxiety, and Efficacy Beliefs in a Sample of Italian University Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-11, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:17:p:9358-:d:629153
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    Cited by:

    1. Shiri Shinan-Altman & Yaira Hamama-Raz, 2023. "The Association between Climate Change Exposure and Climate Change Worry among Israeli Adults: The Interplay of Risk Appraisal, Collective Efficacy, Age, and Gender," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-14, September.
    2. Catriona Soutar & Anne P. F. Wand, 2022. "Understanding the Spectrum of Anxiety Responses to Climate Change: A Systematic Review of the Qualitative Literature," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-23, January.
    3. Matteo Innocenti & Gabriele Santarelli & Gaia Surya Lombardi & Lorenzo Ciabini & Doris Zjalic & Mattia Di Russo & Chiara Cadeddu, 2023. "How Can Climate Change Anxiety Induce Both Pro-Environmental Behaviours and Eco-Paralysis? The Mediating Role of General Self-Efficacy," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-10, February.
    4. Susan D. Clayton & Panu Pihkala & Britt Wray & Elizabeth Marks, 2023. "Psychological and Emotional Responses to Climate Change among Young People Worldwide: Differences Associated with Gender, Age, and Country," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-12, February.
    5. Daniela Acquadro Maran & Matti Ullah Butt & Tatiana Begotti, 2023. "Pro-Environment Behaviors, Efficacy Beliefs, Perceived Individual and Social Norms: A Questionnaire Survey in a Sample of Young Adults From Pakistan," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, November.
    6. Martin, Gina & Cosma, Alina & Roswell, Tasha & Anderson, Martin & Treble, Matthew & Leslie, Kathleen & Card, Kiffer G. & Closson, Kalysha & Kennedy, Angel & Gislason, Maya, 2023. "Measuring negative emotional responses to climate change among young people in survey research: A systematic review," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 329(C).
    7. Marja Leonhardt & Marie Dahlen Granrud & Tore Bonsaksen & Lars Lien, 2022. "Associations between Mental Health, Lifestyle Factors and Worries about Climate Change in Norwegian Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(19), pages 1-12, October.

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