Klimatångest är ett växande fenomen. Olika faktorer kan antas påverka individers grad av klimatångest. Studien undersökte relationen mellan klimatångest och kön, ålder, locus of control samt grad av neuroticism. Detta skedde utifrån fyra hypoteser och två frågeställningar. Sammanlagt deltog 112 respondenter, varav 74 kvinnor. De besvarade en enkät bestående av Rotters Internal-External scale, Clayton och Karazsias klimatångestskala samt delen i Shafers Big Five Marker scale som avser att mäta grad av neuroticism. Materialet undersöktes med korrelationer samt en regressionsanalys. Resultatet från studien påvisade att graden av klimatångest hos respondenterna generellt var låg, kvinnor har mer klimatångest än män och personer med högre grad av neuroticism har högre grad av klimatångest. Beteendemässigt engagemang i klimatfrågan var en signifikant prediktor för klimatångest. Klimatångest kan således vara gynnsamt i viss mån då det tycks korrelera med adaptiva beteenden som kan reducera klimatpåverkan.

Climate change poses the most significant threat to sustainable tourism in the 21st century, impacting destinations globally with abnormal weather phenomena. Climate change not only affects the environment but also our mental health. Extreme weather events linked to climate change increase the risk of anxiety, depressive disorders, and other mental health issues, particularly among young people such as Gen-Z. Nevertheless, climate change anxiety has shown potential to motivate eco-friendly actions, including travel choices. The current research gap exists concerning how climate change anxiety influences travel decision-making. Understanding this relationship is crucial for comprehending the psychological factors driving environmentally responsible decisions. In the present study, the protection motivation theory offers the theoretical lenses for understanding responses to fear stimuli and the motivation for protective actions. This study utilized a nonequivalent quasi-experimental design with focus groups to investigate the impact of climate change anxiety on travel choices among Gen-Z university students. Two groups, a treatment group and a comparison group, were exposed to different climate change videos designed to evoke higher or lower levels of anxiety. While the video shown to the treatment group successfully heightened climate change anxiety, the study found that increased anxiety did not necessarily result in sustainable travel choices. Instead, it often led to feelings of apathy and desensitization. The research identified lack of self-efficacy, cost and time as the main barriers for university students to consider more environmentally travels. It highlights the need for better climate change communication to inspire positive action, emphasizing a vision of a better future. The study’s results offer a baseline for future research aimed at understanding effective climate change communication strategies that prompt pro- environmental actions. Interventions aimed at reshaping travel decision-making, which take into account climate change anxiety and evolutionary biases influencing travel choices, can offer valuable insights for public campaigns promoting sustainable consumption among Gen Z. By nudging tourists and making sustainability the default choice, these interventions could effectively encourage more eco-friendly travel decisions.