Abstract

Climate change is a pressing social issue in contemporary society, and diverse stakeholders are actively seeking strategies to address it. This study examined the influence of demographic, lifestyle and life experiences, and psychological factors on pro-environmental engagement. It further explored the effect of climate anxiety as an underlying psychological mechanism explaining pro-environmental behavior. An online survey was conducted with 546 Korean adults. The results showed that the explanatory power for pro-environmental engagement was significantly greater (40.2%) when psychological factors were considered in addition to demographic and lifestyle/life experience factors. Higher levels of pro-environmental engagement were associated with female, older age, greater environmental media consumption and communication, higher intolerance of uncertainty (IU), and greater consideration of future consequences (CFC). Furthermore, climate anxiety mediated the relationship between psychological factors and pro-environmental engagement. Individuals with higher IU and CFC reported higher levels of climate anxiety, which in turn predicted stronger engagement in pro-environmental behavior. An exploratory path analysis revealed a significant sequential indirect pathway in which climate anxiety, triggered by psychological factors, enhanced pro-environmental engagement through environmental media consumption and communication. These findings are discussed in terms of the psychological antecedents and mechanisms that promote pro-environmental engagement of Koreans.