Impact of climate change on environmental concerns, attitudes and behaviors

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v66i.98525

Keywords:

climate change, sustainability, ecological behaviors, environmental concerns, climate experiencies

Abstract

The increasing frequency of anomalous weather phenomena since 2022 has significantly heightened environmental concerns in Spain. However, the growing worry about the effects of climate change has not been sufficient to generate a positive impact on sustainable behaviors. Among the three dimensions of sustainable behavior, the one related to financial support has dropped sharply, the one related to support for activism tends to decrease, and only the one related to consumption has increased. The reasons we found for this poor trend are: the politicization of environmental issues, which distances conservative citizens from sustainability. The decrease in purchasing power explains the sharp decline in financial support for the environment, but we also find that other behaviors and attitudes are declining among those with lower purchasing power, widening the gap between wealthier citizens who are increasingly involved in sustainability and impoverished citizens who disengage and become indifferent. Another contributing factor is that young people are less involved in ecology, and media messages focus on the problems rather than the effects of actions. The study is based on secondary analysis of the Spanish ISSP Environment III and IV surveys (2010-2023), an analysis of search terms related to climate change in Google Trends (2004-2024), and a press review of climate change articles in Spain (2014-2023).

Author Biographies

Millán Arroyo-Menéndez, Universidad Complutense de Madrid

Graduate and PhD in Political Science and Sociology from the Complutense University of Madrid. Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology: Methodology and Theory at the Complutense University of Madrid. Researcher at the TRANSOC Institute and the Cibersomosaguas Group. Specialist in survey research and in the analysis of public opinion, as well as in the evolution and emergence of values, attitudes, patterns, and socio-cultural trends.

Nubia Gabriela Álava Atiencie, Universidad de Cuenca

Doctor in Political Science, Public Administration, and International Relations from the Complutense University of Madrid. Master's in Educational Management and Leadership from the Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja – UTPL. Commercial Engineer from the University of Cuenca. Currently, at the University of Cuenca, she works as the Coordinator of the Organisational Support for Development Group (ACORDES), is the Director of the Leadership for Transformation 2.0 training programme in Ecuador with CAF, Associate Professor and Researcher of the Sociology degree at the Faculty of Economic and Administrative Sciences, and a member of the Doctoral Committee for the Doctorate in Territorial Sustainability at the University of Cuenca. Her work focuses on research-intervention areas such as Social and Solidarity Economy, Social Participation, Public Management, Socio-Organisational Behaviour, Social Entrepreneurship, Transformational Leadership, Educational Management, and Gender Violence. Additionally, she is an expert in fieldwork with organisations in the Popular and Solidarity Economy. She is a member of the CIMAS Network (International Observatory on Citizenship and Sustainable Environment, Madrid – Spain), the Southern Network of Popular and Solidarity Economy – RAEPS, the Tierra Group, and the Ecuadorian Network of Women Scientists (REMCI).

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Published

2025-12-05

How to Cite

Arroyo-Menéndez, M., & Álava Atiencie, N. G. (2025). Impact of climate change on environmental concerns, attitudes and behaviors. Desenvolvimento E Meio Ambiente, 66, 505–532. https://doi.org/10.5380/dma.v66i.98525

Issue

Vol. 66 (2025): Climate change and the challenges of transitions towards sustainability

Section

Climate change and the challenges of transitions towards sustainability

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Copyright (c) 2025 Millán Arroyo-Menéndez, Nubia Gabriela Álava Atiencie

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