Climate Change Distress Is Widespread Among Young Americans – 85% Say They’re Worried

Nearly 60% of US youth are extremely worried and over 81% say the US government is failing their generation on climate response, new study finds.

Olivia Vesovich, a youth plaintiff in the Held v. Montana climate case, testifies at trial in June 2023.

Young people today are facing an exceptionally precarious, perilous, and frankly frightening future when it comes to the escalating climate crisis, which is expected to worsen in magnitude over their lifetimes. Now, new data backs up this reality that climate change disproportionately burdens youth and future generations and has considerable impacts on young people’s mental health.

According to a brand-new study published in Lancet Planetary Health, distress and related emotions like anxiety and fear over the climate crisis are widespread among teens and young adults in the United States. The study found that an overwhelming majority – 85% – of young Americans ages 16 to 25 are worried about climate change and almost 60% feel very or extremely worried. It is the largest study of its kind in the US focusing on climate change perceptions, emotions and future plans among teens and young adults, and it builds upon a landmark 2021 global study on youth climate anxiety that similarly found widespread levels of distress.

The new study confirms a prolific sense of concern among young people in the US about climate change and the future, and indicates that this concern cuts across political divisions. It is the only study to consider the influence of exposure to extreme weather events, as well as political affiliation, on feelings about climate change among young Americans. Researchers say the study is the first to show such widespread indicators of climate distress and desire and plans for action across the political spectrum. The survey, conducted in 2023, involved nearly 16,000 participants, ages 16 to 25, representing every state.

Here are the key findings:

• A remarkable 85% of survey respondents reported feeling at least moderately worried about climate change and its impact on people and planet; almost 60% (57.9%) said they were very or extremely worried. These feelings are widespread across the country – over 75% in every state or state cluster reported some level of worry, and in most states at least 50% reported being very or extremely worried

• More than 60% of respondents say climate change makes them feel anxious, afraid, angry, sad, and powerless; more than 40% (42.8%) say it is impacting their self-reported mental health, and over one-third (38.3%) indicated that their feelings about climate change impact their day-to-day lives and functioning

• Climate change is impacting young people’s attitudes towards the future and influencing their future plans. Over 75% of respondents say they are frightened for the future. About 69% report that climate change impacts where they decide to live, and 66% believe it threatens their health. Nearly 60% question whether the effort they put into school or their careers will matter, and over half (52%) of respondents say they are hesitant to have children of their own

• Vast majorities (over 85%) assign responsibility to corporations and industries and the US government and other wealthy countries for causing climate change and for addressing the problem. About 77% of respondents say the US government should carry out a plan to prevent the worst impacts of climate change. Three-quarters also reported wanting industries to take more action to reduce emissions and for the education system to provide more learning and discussion opportunities about the issue

• A striking 81.8% reported agreement with the notion that the US government is failing young Americans, and over 73% say the government’s response to climate change makes them feel ignored

• Respondents reporting they have experienced more types of climate-related extreme weather events where they live showed greater alignment with feelings of distress about climate change and desire for action

• Party affiliation does matter to some degree, as Democrats or Independent/Other identifying-respondents were generally more strongly associated with feelings of climate change concern and other related emotions and beliefs; but, there is widespread agreement among Democrats and Republicans that the US government is failing young Americans in its climate change response

“A Substantial Mental Health Concern”

While intense feelings about climate change among young people are to be expected, researchers say that “the widespread distress documented in this survey raises a substantial mental health concern and questions about the most appropriate response.”

Psychiatrist Dr. Lise Van Susteren, a clinical associate professor at George Washington University, expert on climate change and mental health, and study co-author, said the findings of such pervasive feelings of concern and suffering among youth should raise alarm bells.  

“This is not the recipe for a healthy society, for a healthy economy, for healthy families, communities and individuals,” she said. She told me she hopes the study results can help reach older adults who may be inclined to tune out on the issue or put up other self-defense mechanisms in the face of such an overwhelming planetary threat. “This is our way to burrow under those defenses and say listen to what the youth are telling us,” Van Susteren said.

Youth Testimony

One of the clear insights from the study is that youth want to be heard, validated and taken seriously, and they could benefit from more opportunities to discuss their concerns about climate change and to take action.

One way that young people in the US (and globally) are taking action is by turning to the courts, suing their governments for adding fuel to the fire by promoting fossil fuels and not treating climate change as the emergency that it is. Last year in Montana, a youth climate lawsuit went to trial for the first time in US history. The young plaintiffs in the Held v. Montana case took the stand to testify and share their personal stories of how they are impacted by climate change, and I can tell you from sitting in that courtroom that it was powerful. In addition to speaking to how climate change is harming their physical health, many of the youth described the toll it is taking on their mental health. They talked about feelings of deep anxiety and stress and concern for their future. Several of the plaintiffs, including Olivia Vesovich, expressed worries about having children of their own given the context of climate breakdown. Here is an audio clip of Olivia testifying at the trial about climate affecting her mental health and future plans:

A “Clarion Cry” for Justice

Van Susteren also testified at the Montana trial as an expert witness for the youth plaintiffs. Her testimony confirmed and validated the emotional distress that the plaintiffs had expressed, and the new study provides further evidence that the climate crisis is creating a mental health crisis and is an intergenerational injustice.

“Let this study be a clarion cry for us to bring justice and fair play to all people, and particularly the people who are most on the firing line – young people,” Van Susteren told me. The numbers revealed by the study – 85% of young Americans are worried – are hard to ignore, she said, adding that the study’s results should be able to communicate a stark message to most Americans who care about their kids.

“The number of people I believe that we can capture with something like this is the equivalent to testimony on steroids,” she said.