Climate anxiety deters 61% youth in Egypt from having children

Some 61 per cent of young people in Egypt cite climate concerns as a deterrent to having children, according to a recent study.

The study published September 16, 2022 by pollster GlobeScan reveals unprecedented anxiety about climate change among the global public.

The researchers surveyed 29,293 participants from 31 countries — Egypt, South Korea, Turkey, Hong Kong, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Colombia, Mexico, Peru, Japan, Singapore, Canada,the USA, Germany, Australia, the UK, France, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Brazil, China, Argentina, South Africa, Netherlands, Italy, Sweden, Portugal, Nigeria, Kenya and Indonesia — between June and July, 2022.

Most people in South Korea (59 per cent), Turkey (54 per cent), Hong Kong (53 per cent), India (52 per cent) and Thailand (51 per cent) agree that they do not want to have children because of the implications of climate change. In contrast, this idea is far less likely to be accepted by 23 per cent of Kenyans and 18 per cent of Indonesians.

Four in every ten people, or 40 per cent of the respondents, cite the effects of climate change as a curb to having children.

The study also highlighted:

• Some 65 per cent of people worldwide now say that climate change is a serious issue, the highest level ever recorded since the tracking began in 2002.
• Around 37 per cent of people now say that they are personally greatly affected by climate change.
• Some 85 per cent of people globally agree that poor people will suffer the most from the impact of climate change. People in the USA are the least likely to say that poor people will be the most affected, although three-quarters still agree with the same.

Another study by Bath University also found that children and young people in countries around the world expressed climate anxiety and other distressing emotions and thoughts about climate change that impact their daily lives.

More than seven in every 10 people expect climate change to have a severe effect in their regions over the next 10 years, according to a survey conducted by the World Economic Forum and market research firm Ipsos.

The GlobeScan study comes in the midst of intense heatwaves in the United States and Europe, wildfires in Afghanistan and Turkey, landslides in Bangladesh and heavy rain and flooding in Pakistan and China.

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