Climate anxiety: Conceptual considerations, and connections with climate hope and action.

• A rare, large national sample collected in Finland in 2019 was used as data. • All indexes of climate anxiety and hope correlated positively with climate action. • Climate anxiety and climate hope were strongly intercorrelated. • Both climate anxiety and climate hope had unique effects on climate action. • Supports seeing anxiety and hope as intertwined, adaptive feelings. Climate anxiety is a phenomenon which raises growing attention. Based on a national survey of climate-related feelings and behaviors (N = 2070) in Finland, we analyzed and discussed the concept of climate anxiety and its relationship with hope and action. We found that all our measures for climate anxiety (including worry and some stronger manifestations of anxiety) and hope (including efficacy beliefs) correlated positively with each other and climate action. Furthermore, climate anxiety and hope explained unique parts of variance in self-reported climate action. We propose that, in line with the Extended Parallel Process model (EPPM) that was used as a framework, the interplay of emotions needs to be considered when studying and explaining their effect on climate action. In conclusion, the results provide support for seeing climate anxiety and hope as intertwined and adaptive feelings, which could be needed to motivate humankind in finding solutions to climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]