The prevalence of Climate Change Psychological Distress among American adults

The study finds that 7% of American adults experience at least mild levels of Climate Change Psychological Distress (CCPD), with Hispanic/Latino adults and younger generations (Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X) showing the highest rates of anxiety and depression. Approximately 8% of American adults are interested in or already seeking professional counseling to discuss their feelings about global warming, a figure that rises to 21% among Hispanic/Latino respondents.

• Approximately 3% of American adults exhibit potentially serious levels of both climate change-related anxiety and climate change-related depression. Hispanic/Latino adults are the most affected group, with 10% experiencing high levels of both anxiety and depression, compared to 4% and 2% for Black Americans and Whites, respectively, for anxiety, and 3% and 2% for depression.
• Overall, 7% of American adults experience at least mild levels of Climate Change Psychological Distress (CCPD). This prevalence is significantly higher among Hispanic/Latino adults (17%) than among Black Americans (5%) or Whites (5%). Hispanic/Latino adults also have the highest rate of severe CCPD at 3%.
• Younger generations report higher rates of climate-related distress than older adults. Gen Z and Millennials (10%) and Gen X (8%) are more likely to experience at least mild CCPD than Baby Boomers and older generations (3%).
• About 8% of American adults are either already discussing their feelings about global warming with a therapist or counselor, or would be interested in doing so. This interest is most pronounced among Hispanic/Latino adults (21%) and Gen Z/Millennials (13%), while it is lowest among White Americans (5%) and Baby Boomers/older adults (4%).

APA

Uppalapati, S., Ballew, M., Campbell, E., Kotcher, J., Rosenthal, S., Leiserowitz, A., & Maibach, E. (2023). The prevalence of Climate Change Psychological Distress among American adults. Center for Climate Change Communication. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/the-prevalence-of-climate-change-psychological-distress-among-american-adults/

Chicago

Uppalapati, S., M. Ballew, E. Campbell, J. Kotcher, S. Rosenthal, A. Leiserowitz, and E. Maibach. The prevalence of Climate Change Psychological Distress among American adults. Center for Climate Change Communication, 2023. https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/the-prevalence-of-climate-change-psychological-distress-among-american-adults/.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{uppalapati2023prevalence, author = {Uppalapati, S. and Ballew, M. and Campbell, E. and Kotcher, J. and Rosenthal, S. and Leiserowitz, A. and Maibach, E.}, title = {{The prevalence of Climate Change Psychological Distress among American adults}}, institution = {Center for Climate Change Communication}, year = {2023}, month = jul, url = {https://climatecommunication.gmu.edu/all/the-prevalence-of-climate-change-psychological-distress-among-american-adults/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }