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<p>Climate change poses a significant threat to the livelihoods and futures of young people, with global research already documenting its negative impact on their mental health. In addition to symptoms of mental illness that can arise after climate and weather extreme events, young people may be particularly susceptible to climate change anxiety. However, accurately measuring this anxiety remains challenging, and its prevalence and severity among young people are still unclear. We estimated the prevalence of climate change anxiety and explored its distribution and sociodemographic associations among young people (13–34 years old) in Canada. This study is part of a larger cross-sectional survey that used a multi-stage, multi-stratified random probability sampling procedure to recruit and interview participants between April 2022 and March 2023 (young people subgroup: <i>n</i> = 409). Data were weighted and analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and multivariable ordered logistic regression analyses. Climate change anxiety was composed of three subscales: climate change functional impairment, rumination, and cognitive impairment. The population-weighted prevalence of experiencing climate change anxiety was 3.51% (95% CI = 1.71–7.10%). Among subscales, functional impairment was the most common (19.18%; 95% CI = 13.95–25.79%), followed by rumination (7.92%; 95% CI = 4.60–13.32%), and cognitive impairment (2.66%; 95% CI = 1.40–5.00%). The severity of overall climate change anxiety and/or one of its corresponding subscales was significantly higher among younger respondents, respondents that identified as Indigenous, nonbinary respondents, women, urban respondents, and those living in the North. Our results suggest that hundreds of thousands of young people in Canada are experiencing potentially unhealthy levels of climate change anxiety. Evidence-based policies and programs are needed to support the wellbeing and resilience of young people, a population whose lives have been shaped by the alarming scale, speed, and scope of climate change, and who are likely to experience increasingly dramatic impacts throughout their lifetimes.</p>

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Climate change anxiety in daily life: prevalence and distribution among young people in Canada

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月4日

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  • Breanne Aylward,
  • Ashlee Cunsolo,
  • Susan Clayton,
  • Kelton Minor,
  • Madison Cooper,
  • Susan Chatwood,
  • Sherilee L. Harper

摘要

Climate change poses a significant threat to the livelihoods and futures of young people, with global research already documenting its negative impact on their mental health. In addition to symptoms of mental illness that can arise after climate and weather extreme events, young people may be particularly susceptible to climate change anxiety. However, accurately measuring this anxiety remains challenging, and its prevalence and severity among young people are still unclear. We estimated the prevalence of climate change anxiety and explored its distribution and sociodemographic associations among young people (13–34 years old) in Canada. This study is part of a larger cross-sectional survey that used a multi-stage, multi-stratified random probability sampling procedure to recruit and interview participants between April 2022 and March 2023 (young people subgroup: n = 409). Data were weighted and analysed using descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analysis, and multivariable ordered logistic regression analyses. Climate change anxiety was composed of three subscales: climate change functional impairment, rumination, and cognitive impairment. The population-weighted prevalence of experiencing climate change anxiety was 3.51% (95% CI = 1.71–7.10%). Among subscales, functional impairment was the most common (19.18%; 95% CI = 13.95–25.79%), followed by rumination (7.92%; 95% CI = 4.60–13.32%), and cognitive impairment (2.66%; 95% CI = 1.40–5.00%). The severity of overall climate change anxiety and/or one of its corresponding subscales was significantly higher among younger respondents, respondents that identified as Indigenous, nonbinary respondents, women, urban respondents, and those living in the North. Our results suggest that hundreds of thousands of young people in Canada are experiencing potentially unhealthy levels of climate change anxiety. Evidence-based policies and programs are needed to support the wellbeing and resilience of young people, a population whose lives have been shaped by the alarming scale, speed, and scope of climate change, and who are likely to experience increasingly dramatic impacts throughout their lifetimes.