“With all these feelings, I just can’t stay passive”: an exploration of eco-emotions, political attitude, perceived injustice and pro-environmental behaviors among young adults in France

Recent studies have highlighted the intense emotions individuals may experience in response to environmental crises, particularly climate anxiety. Nevertheless, the links between political attitudes and eco-emotions have been under-explored and the mechanisms linking eco-emotions to pro-environmental behaviors remain unclear. This study qualitatively explores young adults’ perspectives on climate change and investigates (in addition to others psychological constructs) how perception of political actors (institutions, private companies, Non-governmental organization, media) and environmental injustice trigger specific emotions. It also examine how eco-emotions may drive pro-environmental actions. Thirty French young adults (18–29) were interviewed. Sadness and anger were associated with injustice, while diverse emotions were associated with various political actors : Anger is essentially directed at institutions and “other people”, whereas hope is associated with NGOs, and anxiety tends to be relative to the media. The study also found that for two thirds of participants, emotions drive action, with positive emotions (hope, joy) and negative emotions (anxiety, anger) both having considerable influence. Among other elements, this study highlights how individuals’ perception of different political actors leads to a better understanding of their eco-emotions. It also shows that positive emotions can be an equally significant driver of action than negative emotions.