Eco-anxiety: prevalence and association with well-being and environmentally responsible consumption in Lithuania

Abstract

Background Since eco-anxiety has been linked to various mental health, well-being, and environmental conservation indicators, this study aims to further explore the prevalence of eco-anxiety and its links to mental health indicators, overall well-being, and environmentally responsible consumption Methods A nationally representative sample of 2,136 Lithuanians provided self-reported data on symptoms of eco-anxiety, depression, and general anxiety as well as on life satisfaction and environmentally responsible consumption. The prevalence of eco-anxiety symptoms was estimated based on mean score: no eco-anxiety symptoms group (M = 1), mild/medium eco-anxiety symptoms group (1.25 ≤ M ≥ 3), and high eco-anxiety symptoms group (3.25 ≤ M ≥ 5) Results In the general sample, 1.4% of respondents scored in the high range on eco-anxiety symptoms. We found no significant differences in the prevalence of eco-anxiety symptoms by gender, age, education, income, or relationship status. Higher eco-anxiety scores were associated with higher scores on depression and general anxiety symptoms. However, eco-anxiety symptoms were not related to life satisfaction. We found no significant relationship between eco-anxiety symptoms and regular consumption, whereas eco-anxiety symptoms were positively related to activism-oriented consumption Conclusion This study helps to address the underrepresentation of the Baltic region in eco-anxiety research. It adds to the growing evidence that eco-anxiety symptoms are prevalent among adult population and are negatively associated with mental health symptoms and positively associated with activism-oriented consumption.