Climate Anxiety and Climate Change Perceptions in Malaysian Higher Education: Impacts on Emotion, Cognition, and Function

Objective: To assess the level of climate anxiety among International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) undergraduate students, describe associated negative thoughts and functional impacts, and examine differences by gender and faculty, as well as correlations among emotional, cognitive, and functional domains.Material and Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among IIUM undergraduate students (n=222) using an adapted version of the Climate Anxiety Questionnaire, with government-response items removed. The instrument assessed emotional responses, negative beliefs, and functional impacts. Data were analysed using descriptive and non-parametric statistics. Mann–Whitney U tests compared median domain scores by gender and faculty (health vs non-health), while Spearman correlation assessed associations among domains. Statistical significance was set at p-value<0.05.Results: Participants were predominantly female (77.9%) and from health-related faculties (64.9%). Emotional concern about climate change was high, with most respondents reporting moderate to extreme worry regarding its threat to people and the planet. Negative beliefs were common, particularly perceptions of a frightening future and collective failure to protect the environment. Functional impacts on daily activities were generally low to moderate. Male students reported significantly higher emotional response and functional impact scores than female students, while negative beliefs did not differ by gender. Non-health students showed significantly higher emotional response and negative belief scores compared with health students, with no difference in functional impact. Emotional response and negative beliefs, as well as functional impact and negative beliefs, were positively correlated; however, emotional response was not significantly correlated with functional impact.Conclusion: IIUM undergraduates demonstrate substantial emotional engagement with climate change, though functional disruption remains limited. The significant correlations between negative beliefs and both emotional response and functional impact suggest interconnected emotional and cognitive responses, although emotional response was not significantly associated with functional impact.