This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: 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 are 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.
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.
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