The social-psychological determinants of climate action in older adults: a systematic mapping review of studies investigating motivation, beliefs, self-efficacy, values and identity in the context of climate change

Older adults have substantial but often under-recognized potential to contribute to climate change mitigation. However, there is currently no systematic review synthesizing the evidence on the social-psychological determinants of climate action in older adulthood. This paper systematically maps existing evidence on the role of motivation, beliefs, self-efficacy, values and identity among older adults in the context of climate change and climate action. Following the PRISMA guidelines for reporting systematic reviews, studies focusing on these psychological determinants in the context of climate change and older adulthood were searched in three major databases (PsycINFO, PubMed and Web of Science). A total of 1,503 articles were returned from the systematic search. Of these, 174 unique studies (185 entries when accounting for articles addressing multiple determinants) published between 2005 and 2024 met criteria for eligibility in the final systematic mapping database (32 for motivation, 87 for beliefs, seven for self-efficacy, 36 for values and 23 for identity). The studies showed a notable geographic distribution, with the majority originating from Europe and the US. The results showed all determinants to be associated with actions aimed at mitigating climate change, with beliefs being the most explored and self-efficacy the least explored construct in the context of climate change and older adults. However, although all studies in the mapping review involved participants aged 65 years and older, only 33 specifically focused on older adults as a distinct age group. These findings highlight the underrepresentation of older individuals in studies on social-psychological determinants in the climate change context.