The correlates of climate change concern in Guatemala

Climate change concern is believed to promote environmentally friendly behavior and the support of ameliorative environmental policies. Understanding the causes of this concern is therefore a precondition for its mobilization in favor of ameliorative environmental practices. This paper leverages empirical findings from a nationally representative survey to explore the correlates of climate change concern in Guatemala. It finds that direct and indirect experiences with climate impacts are the main correlates of climate change concern. Low levels of public trust and a sense of agency in reacting to disasters also contribute to concern levels. Measures taken to increase the linkage of weather impacts and anthropogenic actions to climate change, and to foster a sense of climate agency in citizens, can help highly vulnerable countries like Guatemala confront the challenges of climate change by contributing to create conditions that are more conducive to pro-environmental behavior and policy change.