“With all these feelings, I just can't stay passive”: A qualitative exploration of eco‐emotions, political perception, perceived injustice and pro‐environmental behaviors among young adults in France

Abstract Recent studies have highlighted the emotions individuals may experience in response to environmental crises, particularly climate anxiety. Despite a growing literature investigating eco‐emotions, further research is needed to identify the associated appraisals–especially moral constructs. This study qualitatively explores young adults' perspectives on environmental crisis, particularly looking at how environmental injustice and perception of political stakeholders are linked to specific emotions. It also examines how eco‐emotions may drive self‐reported pro‐environmental actions. Thirty French young adults (18–29) were interviewed. Sadness and anger were associated with injustice, while diverse emotions were associated with various political stakeholders: Anger was associated with institutions and “other people,” hope to non‐governmental organizations and anxiety to the media. The study also found that for two thirds of respondents, emotions appear to drive action, with positive emotions (hope, joy) and negative emotions (anxiety, anger and sadness) both having considerable influence. Among other elements, this study highlights how individuals' perception of different political stakeholders leads to a better understanding of their eco‐emotions. It also shows that positive emotions can be an equally significant driver of action as negative emotions.