One in two young people say they suffer from eco-anxiety, according to an international study

Difficulties in sleeping, eating, loss of appetite for studies or even for the small pleasures of life ... Young French people, but also English, Indian and Brazilian adolescents are affected on a daily basis by recurrent stress linked to the climate crisis, according to a study submitted to the journal

Researchers

British, American and Finnish universities, funded by the climate NGO Avaaz, interviewed 10,000 young people aged 16 to 25 from a dozen different countries, without telling them the subject of the study.

Result: 45% of them declare that their “eco-anxiety” manifests itself in the capacity to understand their everyday life.

The origin of these troubles?

Young people around the world fear the direct consequences of climate change.

They feel helpless and do not trust the actions of governments.

A scary future

Thus, 75% of respondents consider the future "scary" and 55% think that they will have fewer opportunities than their parents.

52% of respondents fear for the safety of their family.

These negative thoughts influence their emotional state: 50% of young people surveyed feel sad, anxious, angry, helpless or guilty about the climate crisis.

"These psychological stressors threaten health and well-being, and can be viewed as morally damaging and unfair," the researchers say.

For scientists, these troubles are not entirely based on the disaster itself.

They also depend on the speeches and actions of decision-makers.

“Young people individualize the climate problem.

They think it's up to them.

This is particularly due to the story around the climate crisis: it would be a matter of personal decisions, ”translates Xavier Briffault, sociologist of mental health at the CNRS.

Is there a risk that an entire generation will appear in poor mental health? If long and repeated exposure to stressful situations such as the climate crisis or the Covid-19 crisis promotes the appearance of pathologies, not everyone reacts in the same way. “The more legible the future is and the more we think we are capable of coping with change, the less worried we are,” insists Xavier Briffault.