An Empirical Analysis of the Nexus Between Climate Change Anxiety and Sustainable Consumption Patterns among Turkish Individuals

An augmenting body of research is elucidating the psychological impacts of climate change, revealing a potential positive linkage between climate change anxiety and sustainable consumption through constructive concern. This investigation seeks to discern the presence and magnitude of a statistically significant relationship between climate change anxiety and patterns of sustainable consumption behaviour. The research employs a convenience sampling method, acquiring data through a causal study, whereby 455 valid survey responses were collected from 12th May to 12th June 2023. The interactive survey, formulated via Google Forms, was disseminated across Turkey. Analytical procedures were performed utilising SPSS and LISREL software, incorporating exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and structural equation modelling (SEM) to interpret the data. Findings reveal a statistically significant relationship, within a 95% confidence interval, between climate change anxiety and sustainable consumption behaviour. A surge in climate change anxiety correlates with heightened environmental sensitivity, augmented saving tendencies, and an escalation in reusability inclinations. Conversely, it is associated with a decline in superfluous purchasing behaviour. It can be concluded that enhanced climate change anxiety among participants concomitantly amplifies their proclivity towards sustainable consumption’s sub-dimensions, such as environmental sensitivity, frugality, and reusability, while discretionary purchasing behaviours witness no augmentation. Certain limitations permeate the study: out of 487 respondents, 32 were omitted from analysis, suggesting the necessity for larger sample sizes in subsequent studies. Amplifying climate change awareness and endorsing sustainable consumption behaviour is pivotal to fostering a more sustainable world. Findings from the SEM imply that elevating environmental sensitivity could burgeon awareness regarding climate change. Given the pressing nature of the climate crisis, the current study postulates that climate change anxiety could serve as a catalyst for inducing sustainable consumption behaviour and underscores the imperative for further intricate research within this domain.