Eco-anxiety or simply eco-worry? Incremental validity study in a representative Spanish sample.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Psychology
• Climate Change Communication
• Social Psychology

Background:

• Scientific literature increasingly focuses on eco-anxiety, despite its low prevalence and unclear links to behavior and mental health.
• The distinction between eco-anxiety and eco-worry requires further investigation, particularly across different levels of environmental engagement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the incremental validity of eco-worry compared to eco-anxiety.
• To examine these constructs' roles in mediating the relationship between climate change perception and pro-environmental behavior.
• To assess their connection with life satisfaction across varying environmental commitment levels.

Main Methods:

• A representative sample of the Spanish population (N=1911) was surveyed.
• Participants were categorized into high (activists), medium (aspiring activists), and low (non-engaged) environmental commitment groups.
• Statistical analyses were employed to test mediation and incremental validity.

Main Results:

• Environmental activists reported higher eco-worry rather than eco-anxiety.
• Eco-worry, not eco-anxiety, positively mediated the link between climate change perception and willingness for environmental behavior across all commitment levels.
• Eco-worry, unlike eco-anxiety, positively correlated with life satisfaction via pro-environmental behavior.

Conclusions:

• Eco-anxiety offers no significant advantage over the more intuitive and non-pathological concept of eco-worry.
• Eco-worry is a more strategic construct for promoting both individual pro-environmental behaviors and collective social action.
• The findings suggest reframing environmental concern towards eco-worry to foster engagement.