ENCORE: Empowering societal resilience by uncovering the mechanism of the link between ecological anxiety and environmentally friendly consumption

ENCORE project is dedicated to the increasingly relevant theme of the ecological crisis, revealing the emotional response to it both in the general population of Lithuania and specifically among young people. Specifically, the aim of this study is to enable societal resilience by uncovering the mechanism behind the link between ecological anxiety and environmentally friendly consumption. In order to achieve this goal, two samples are planned: (1) a representative sample of the Lithuanian population and (2) a convenience sample of emerging adults (18-29 years old).

In the study of a representative sample of Lithuanian residents, we will seek to find out the prevalence of ecological anxiety in Lithuania. In a sample of emerging adults, we will analyze the mechanisms through which ecological anxiety (de)motivates behaviors aimed at mitigating the ecological crisis, such as environmentally friendly consumption. We will analyze the associations of personal (e.g., values, resilience, coping strategies), interpersonal (e.g., social norms, support), and economic and demographic (e.g., gender, age, financial status) factors with ecological anxiety and environmentally friendly consumption. Analyzing these factors will help to reveal the mechanisms through which ecological anxiety manifests itself and how it (de)motivates environmentally friendly consumption. The research will provide unique knowledge relevant to the Lithuanian context. Knowledge about the relationship between ecological anxiety and environmentally friendly consumption is necessary because consumption is the most easily accessible practice of environmentally friendly behavior that can be easily changed through interventions.