Did the pandemic undermine climate concern in Europe? a re-assessment of the Finite Pool of Worry

This study investigates whether the COVID-19 pandemic diminished public concern about climate change, particularly among Europeans. It tests the Finite Pool of Worry (FPW) hypothesis, which posits that, given individuals’ limited emotional resources, increasing worry about COVID-19 decreases concern regarding climate change. Contrary to the FPW hypothesis, our findings indicate that, for Europeans as a whole, concern for climate change actually increased during the pandemic. This was confirmed through conditional mixed-process instrumental variable analysis. Our research makes two key contributions to the existing literature. First, while the FPW hypothesis is supported in former Communist states, it does not hold for other Western European countries. Second, climate change concerns remained unchanged among unvaccinated individuals and those who exhibit COVID-19 skepticism and scepticism about the attribution of climate change. The concept of ‘core – peripheral’ worries proposed by Lorraine Whitmarsh can better operationalize the FPW theory in practice.Given the crucial role of ideological divide, climate mitigation/adaptation policies should be differentiated for countries with/without a Communist past.Skeptics of COVID-19 and climate change are not sensitive to changes in climate policy.It is possible to formulate integrated policies that address the pandemic and climate change simultaneously. The concept of ‘core – peripheral’ worries proposed by Lorraine Whitmarsh can better operationalize the FPW theory in practice. Given the crucial role of ideological divide, climate mitigation/adaptation policies should be differentiated for countries with/without a Communist past. Skeptics of COVID-19 and climate change are not sensitive to changes in climate policy. It is possible to formulate integrated policies that address the pandemic and climate change simultaneously.