Abstract
Negative emotions related to climate change can adversely impact people’s mental health and wellbeing. However, they could also accelerate action on climate change by driving support for environmental policies. Using the TISP Many Labs data, we present results from a cross-sectional secondary analysis of survey responses from 69,534 participants across 68 countries worldwide. The survey included items on people’s emotional response to climate change, perceptions of government responses to climate change, and support for environmental policies. Participants experienced relatively low levels of negative emotions toward climate change (M = 2.79, SD = 1.01; 1 = not at all, 5 = very strongly), with relatively little variation across countries (SD = 0.27). Individuals reporting stronger negative emotions were less satisfied with their government’s climate action and expressed greater support for environmental policies. Our results thereby contribute to a global assessment of climate emotions and its correlates, crucially augmenting past research that has been more limited in global scope.