“A “supermajority” of young Americans across the political spectrum feel distressed about human-made climate change and want bolder action from the government and corporations, a new study has found. Experiencing the worsening effects of a rapidly changing climate throughout their youth and into adulthood, this crisis has become existential for them.
In the largest survey of its kind, 85% of nearly 16,000 respondents ages 16 to 25 from all 50 states reported being worried about the impact of climate change on people and the planet. More than 60% said they felt the emotional impact of this global crisis — anxiety, powerlessness, fear, sadness, anger. The study showed high proportions of concern across the board, whether respondents identified as Democrat, Republican, independent or other.
“So it really kind of challenges the notion that this is a very partisan issue. It certainly doesn’t appear that way in this younger age group,” said Eric Lewandowski, the study’s lead author and a clinical psychologist. He’s also a child and adolescent psychiatry professor at the New York University Grossman School of Medicine, one of six universities involved in the research published Thursday in the scientific journal The Lancet Planetary Health.
One-third of respondents said climate change affected their ability to carry on with their daily lives, including focusing on work or school, eating and sleeping, having fun and enjoying relationships. These sweeping feelings of helplessness, however, translate into a strong desire for action: 77% want the U.S. government and other countries to plan and prevent the worst consequences of the climate crisis. There is a similarly strong consensus around corporations reducing their contributions to pollution and schools providing education and opportunities for discussion.
An “extraordinarily sobering” number of young people acknowledged they are afraid — “not only for today but for the future,” said co-author Lise Van Susteren, a psychiatrist and professor of behavioral sciences at the George Washington University School of Medicine, also one of the schools involved in the study. But the results, as alarming as they may be, also offer a path forward.” (Chicago Tribune, A. Perez, 10.18.24)
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