Health. Eco-anxiety, a threat to the mental health of more than two million French people

Eco-anxiety, defined as "mental distress in the face of environmental issues," should not be confused with awareness of these issues, referred to as "eco-lucidity," nor with active engagement in the transition, referred to as "eco-engagement."

Eco-anxiety also cannot (and should not) be confused with anxiety disorders or depression, although, if the chronicity and intensity of symptoms increase, it can lead to these psychopathologies .

The impact of eco-anxiety on mental health

To establish an objective and scientific assessment, the Eco-Anxiety Observatory (OBSECA), in partnership with the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), has measured for the first time the impact of eco-anxiety on the mental health of the French population. This survey identifies the profiles most at risk from this distress, using a scientifically validated diagnostic tool.

The study was conducted on a representative sample of the population aged 15 to 64. It also advanced the method for assessing eco-anxiety, drawing on a scientifically validated diagnostic tool. Thus, eco-anxiety appears to be a continuum, with graded scores and symptoms, revealing three broad profiles within the population.

More than 2 million French people are highly “eco-anxious”

Even though 75% of the French population declares itself to be no, very little or slightly eco-anxious, 15% present moderate eco-anxiety, with initial symptoms that should not be allowed to progress.

In the figures, 31.5 million people show no signs, or only mild signs, of eco-anxiety. Conversely, 6.3 million are moderately eco-anxious, with early symptoms to watch for. Finally, approximately 5% of French people, or 2.1 million people, are very highly eco-anxious to the point of requiring psychological support.

Among them, 1%, or approximately 420,000 individuals, even present a high risk of developing psychopathology, such as reactive depression or an anxiety disorder.

The most acute forms result in constant ruminations about the environmental crisis and its consequences, marked emotional manifestations (worry, fear, anxiety), a feeling of never doing enough for the planet, and, in the most severe cases, social withdrawal, sleep disturbances and an alteration of daily life.

Women are more affected than men.

No sociodemographic category is spared, but to varying degrees. Those aged 25-34 are the most eco-anxious, ahead of those aged 15-24 and those aged 50-64. People with a Bac+3 or higher have the highest levels of eco-anxiety, while those without a diploma have the lowest levels.

Retirees are the least eco-anxious. Moreover, eco-anxiety is more pronounced among residents of large urban areas, particularly in the Paris region, as well as among those who are strongly interested in environmental issues.

Transforming eco-anxiety into eco-action

For Valérie Martin, from the French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), "this study confirms the need to provide tools that enable us to engage concretely in the transition and to address this phenomenon."

Indeed, action is needed: eco-anxiety should be understood as a progressive psychological distress, situated on a continuum between positive mental health (psychological well-being) and psychopathologies, which could affect a growing number of French people as its intensity increases, in parallel with the announcement of ecological disasters arousing more concern. If eco-anxiety becomes chronic or intensifies without intervention, it risks evolving negatively.

However, it can also take a positive turn if it is perceived as a process of adaptation to the environmental crisis. This requires emotional regulation to reduce worries, as well as a shift to eco-action, in line with the individual's resources, in order to strengthen their power to act.

For the report's authors, these data put an end to the debate: eco-anxiety should no longer be downplayed or dismissed as a fad. Moreover, it should not be reduced to a single ideological argument, which would overlook the real suffering of eco-anxious people.

Learn more: the Eco-anxiety in France report