Experience of social inclusion, climate change worries, and climate-friendly behaviour

Abstract Background Climate change poses significant health risks, making effective countermeasures crucial for public health. The experience of social inclusion (ESI)-encompassing aspects of agency, belonging, social support, meaningfulness, and trust-is a key component of psychosocial wellbeing and a resource that may empower individuals to adopt climate-friendly behaviours. Our study examined the association between ESI, worrying about climate change, and climate-friendly behaviour. Methods We used data from the 2022 Healthy Finland survey representative of the Finnish population aged 20-74 (n = 5281). The outcomes were being worried about climate change, four climate-friendly behaviours, and an index for participants reporting at least three such behaviours. ESI was measured using the Experiences of Social Inclusion Scale (ESIS), with scores 75 points or more indicating a moderate to strong ESI. We used logistic regressions to calculate odds ratios (OR), first univariately and then multivariately to control for sociodemographic (gender, age) and socioeconomic (education, poverty) background. We also controlled for climate change worries in climate-friendly behaviour. Results A moderate to strong ESI was not related to climate change worries. However, it was significantly (p < 0.05) associated with three of the four climate-friendly behaviours in both univariate (ORs 1.35-1.57) and multivariate models (ORs 1.30-1.51). Moreover, a moderate to strong ESI was associated with the index for strong climate-friendly behaviour (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.29-1.76; when adjusted 1.43, 95% CI 1.21-1.70). Conclusions ESI had an positive impact on climate-friendly behaviour even when controlled for sociodemographic and socioeconomic background. Strengthening ESI might not only have positive impacts on health and wellbeing but also on climate-friendly behaviour. Such policies and interventions should ideally be targeted at vulnerable population groups in which a weakened ESI is more common. Key messages • A moderate to strong ESI positively influences climate-friendly behaviour. The impact remains significant even after controlling for sociodemographic and socioeconomic factors. • Policies and interventions promoting ESI, particularly among vulnerable groups, may have beneficial effects on wellbeing and climate-friendly behaviour, hence give significant inputs to public health.