Turning eco-anxiety into pro-environmental behaviour: risk perception as mediator

This work aimed to explore how eco-anxiety might drive pro-environmental behaviour, by functioning as an alert for potential threats. Drawing on a dual-processes approach that assumed reciprocal relations between eco-anxiety, risk perception and behaviour, we investigated whether environmental risks perception mediated the relationship between eco-anxiety and pro-environmental behaviour. In Study 1 (N = 66), a mixed-methods approach suggested that reflecting on environment-related emotions and thoughts was associated with increased donations to environmental NGOs (behavioural measure). In a cross-sectional design in Study 2 (N = 511), we examined the links between eco-anxiety, risk perception, and self-reported pro-environmental behaviours. Results supported the mediation of risk perception. Na alternative model, with risk perception as the independent variable and eco-anxiety as the mediator, showed no indirect effect of eco-anxiety. Study 3 (N = 1325) involved an eco-anxiety induction and a measure of state eco-anxiety to test whether experimentally induced eco-anxiety heightened risk perception and donations to environmental NGOs. Sequential mediation analyses revealed the combined indirect effect of state eco-anxiety and risk perception, on the relationship between study condition (control; lower eco-anxiety; higher eco-anxiety) and donations to environmental NGOs. Ecoanxiety may thus foster pro-environmental behaviour through cognitive deliberation about the hazards
posed by environmental problems.