Does the UK suffer from eco-anxiety?

In the past few years governments around the world have started taking new measures to try and combat rapid climate change. As an example, in many countries the use of single use plastic bags is now illegal. Furthermore, private companies such as fast food restaurants have stopped giving out single use plastic straws and require their patrons to use their own reusable metal or bamboo straws. While a large number of international hotel chains have requested that their guests use their bathroom towels for more than one day in a row.

To discover the extent of the UK’s eco-anxiety. Simply continue reading to discover a few interesting stats which will give you a clear picture of how the UK feels about climate change and protecting the environment.

Does the UK suffer from eco-anxiety?

What percentage of the UK have made long term changes to their lifestyles to combat climate change:

In a comprehensive survey UK residents were asked how their anxiety about climate change has changed the way that they live their day to day lives. A whopping 56.90% of respondents answered that they have cut down on their energy consumption due to their fears about climate change. While 32.60% of individuals claimed that they changed their diet or adopted a vegan diet to reduce their personal carbon emissions.

Furthermore, 30% of respondents claimed that they changed the way that they travel due to their personal beliefs around climate change. As an example some UK residents have cut down on their long haul flights or chose to offset their carbon emissions, to combat climate change.

How important do UK residents feel their behavior is, when it comes to fighting climate change:

Over half of the survey’s respondents 56.30%, answered that they feel that their role in fighting climate change is important. Which is a significant proportion of the UK.

How anxious are UK residents that they’re not doing enough to fight climate change:

You may be surprised to learn that the vast majority of respondents, 64.20% of UK residents feared that they weren’t doing enough to fight climate change.

How anxious are UK residents when they think about the future of the environment:

45% of respondents claimed that they worried about the future of the environment, several days per week. While 15% answered that they feel nervous about the environment on more than half of the days of the week. 7.60% responded that they worry about the environment on a daily basis. While only 32.40% claimed that they did not worry about the environment at all.

Do UK residents believe that they suffer from eco anxiety:

Despite the fact that 64,20% of respondents feared that they weren’t doing enough to reverse climate change, 70.90% of individuals hadn’t heard of the term eco-anxiety before. While 66.70% respondents claimed that they had never suffered from eco-anxiety. Although the rest of the survey’s statistics suggest otherwise.

It’s clear that over half of the individuals in the UK have some level of eco-anxiety. Even though the vast majority of the UK has never heard of the term eco-anxiety and may misinterpret the new term.