Why climate anxiety makes some youth take action, while others freeze

While young people are constantly exposed to news about climate change, their resulting anxiety does not always translate into environmental action. A new study published in Climate reveals that the relationship between climate distress and climate action is highly complex. While worry pushes some youth to seek solutions, it causes others to completely freeze up.

The study, " Predictors of Willingness to Engage in Climate Mitigation Behavior and Eco-Paralysis Among Youth in the United States ," examined the attitudes of teenagers and young adults in the United States between the ages of 13 and 22. Because today's youth will face the most severe impacts of climate change, establishing pro-environmental habits early is critical for future sustainability. Researchers found that feeling distressed about the climate does lead many teens to make personal changes, like reducing waste, or to join collective efforts. However, this same stress can also trigger "eco-paralysis" - a state where individuals feel so overwhelmed by the crisis that they disengage entirely.

In seeking to understand why distress motivates some teens while paralyzing others, researchers identified a crucial missing factor: climate contempt.

"We often assume that young people who are anxious about climate change will be motivated to do something about it," said Brianne Suldovsky, associate professor of communication and lead author of the study. "Our findings suggest the relationship is much more complicated. Climate anxiety can motivate action, but it can also contribute to feelings of paralysis. Importantly, we found that climate contempt - or feeling annoyed about the panic over climate change - may be a key factor in understanding why some young people disengage from climate action altogether."

When teenagers experience both stress and annoyance regarding the issue, they are significantly more likely to shut down and experience eco-paralysis. Contempt acts as a powerful negative force, halting their desire to participate in individual or group climate initiatives.

The results point to clear pathways for educators, advocates and leaders working to inspire youth climate action. The study suggests a need to reevaluate how information is shared. While young people rely heavily on social media, the data indicates that learning about climate change on these platforms does not reliably drive them to act.

Instead, traditional news media and direct, interpersonal conversations are stronger tools for encouraging youth to join collective efforts. Youth are currently navigating a global crisis and processing intense emotions that do not always easily connect. To effectively mobilize teens, communication strategies must align with the sources that actually spark real-world engagement.

Most importantly, the research indicates that communication strategies aimed at increasing teens' worry about the climate isn't enough and has the potential to be counterintuitive. Outreach efforts must help teens learn how to translate their climate concern into productive action. In doing so, messaging strategies should take care to avoid generating climate contempt. When young people feel alienated or annoyed by climate messaging, that contempt can erase the motivating effects of distress and push them directly into eco-paralysis.

While more research is needed to identify exactly which messages trigger contempt, the study makes it clear that the feeling of contempt plays an important role in how teens feel about climate change, and, ultimately, whether or not they are motivated to take action.