The Lancet, 4 November 2024

Climate emotions, thoughts, and plans among US adolescents and young adults: a cross-sectional descriptive survey and analysis by political party identification and self-reported exposure to severe weather events

Climate change has adverse effects on youth mental health and wellbeing, but limited large-scale data exist globally or in the USA. Understanding the patterns and consequences of climate-related distress among US youth can inform necessary responses at the individual, community, and policy level.

A cross-sectional descriptive online survey was done of US youth aged 16–25 years from all 50 states and Washington, DC, between July 20 and Nov 7, 2023, via the Cint digital survey marketplace. The survey assessed: climate-related emotions and thoughts, including indicators of mental health; relational aspects of climate-related emotions; beliefs about who or what has responsibility for causing and responding to climate change; desired and planned actions in response to climate change; and emotions and thoughts about the US Government response to climate change.