Eco-Anxiety Effects College Students

Authors

Alexa Edmundson, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

First Advisor

Hillary Mason

Second Advisor

Pattrick Bitterman

Date of this Version

Spring 5-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

Environmental Studies Undergraduate Student Thesis, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2024

Abstract

A survey was conducted on the UNL student population to evaluate whether college students, 18-25 year olds who are currently attending an accredited post-secondary school, are experiencing eco-anxiety and if eco-anxiety affects their pro-environmental behaviors. Climate change is taking a toll not only physically on us but also mentally. The mental health of people, especially college students, is not often studied in relation to climate change, but if we are to understand how to create change in this issue then we need to be looking at the whole picture. The hypothesis is that if college students are experiencing eco-anxiety, then students will exhibit pro-environmental behaviors because anxiety is an activating agent that elicits an action to ease it. (Stanley et al, 2021) This survey is based on two previously established scales, in this survey participants’ demographics were collected, gauged on their care for the environment, then used the Climate Change Worry Scale (CCWS) and the Pro-Environmental Behavior Scale (PEBS) to help find if there was a correlation between the two, followed up by three open-ended questions. Overall, the results of the survey results showed a strong positive correlation between eco-anxiety and pro-environmental behaviors, which is even further supported by the written responses of the participants in the open-ended questions results.