Climate emotions, parenting plans, and racial difference in the United States

Abstract

Introduction

Increasing attention is being paid to the relationship between climate change, emotional and mental distress, and feelings about raising children. These studies often overlook the role of demographics, race in particular, despite evidence that racial minority groups in the U.S. experience more detrimental climate impacts and express more climate concern than do white communities. This survey was conducted to elucidate the relationship between race, climate emotions, and parenting plans in the U.S.

Methods

We surveyed 2489 people in the U.S. between the ages of 22 and 35 in September 2021. Because we were interested in the role of race, we oversampled those who identified as non-white/people of color. The survey assessed participants’ emotions with respect to climate change, and their emotions with respect to birthing and raising children (parenting) in the context of climate change.

Results

Nonwhite respondents were more likely than white respondents to report feeling traumatized as a response to climate change, and to plan to have fewer future children than they wanted as a result of their climate-related emotions. They were also more likely to report feeling more optimistic and hopeful in response to climate change and in response to raising existing children in the context of climate change. White women were least likely to report any positive emotions with respect to parenting during climate change. White men were most likely to report non-feeling emotions such as numbness, indifference, or being checked out. Christian respondents were more likely to report feeling positive emotions overall.

Conclusion

This study highlights race as a statistically significant factor in the reporting of climate emotions and parenting plans. It demonstrates that climate change has contradictory impacts on the emotions of nonwhite people of color, while having a negative impact on childbearing plans. We call for further research into the role of race in climate-related emotions and parenting plans, particularly with respect to the impacts of traumatized feelings, as well as the roles of religion and positive emotions.