Ecological Emotions in a Climate-Vulnerable Nation: Eco-Anxiety, Eco-Guilt, and Eco-Grief Among Gen Z Filipinos

Ongoing global environmental change has given rise to a growing body of research on emotional and affective responses to ecological degradation. This study investigated eco-anxiety, eco-guilt, and eco-grief among Generation Z Filipinos, thereby contributing to the Global South perspective in a literature dominated by Western samples. Using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory (QUAN → qual) design, Study 1 employed a cross-sectional survey of 616 Gen Z Filipinos (aged 18-29) using the Eco-Anxiety Questionnaire, Eco-Guilt Questionnaire, and Ecological Grief Questionnaire. Study 2 involved qualitative interviews with nine participants. Quantitative findings revealed that participants exhibited high levels of habitual ecological worry, eco-guilt, and eco-grief, but relatively low functional impairment from eco-anxiety. Significant gender differences emerged, with females reporting higher levels of habitual ecological worry, eco-guilt, and eco-grief than males, although both genders experienced similar negative consequences. Place of residence also mattered: rural residents reported significantly greater negative consequences from eco-anxiety than urban residents, despite comparable levels of ecological worry, guilt, and grief. Qualitative analysis identified five themes-Gendered Emotional Expression, Responsibility Rooted in Nurturing Roles, Emotional Resonance and Collective Grief, Proximity to Environmental Harm, and Disruption of Tradition and Place Identity-that illuminate how gender socialization and environmental exposure shape ecological emotions. Our preliminary empirical insights and findings highlight the importance of recognizing ecological emotions as legitimate psychological phenomena warranting further investigations and attention in mental health practice and environmental education, particularly among climate-vulnerable youth populations.