Climate emotions, parenting plans, and racial difference in the United States

This survey-based study examines how climate-related emotions intersect with parenting and birthing decisions in the United States, with particular attention to racial difference. Participants were asked about their emotional responses to climate change generally, and separately about their emotions relating to birthing and raising children in the context of the climate crisis. The study finds that non-white respondents were more likely than white respondents to report feeling traumatised by climate change and to plan smaller families as a result of climate-related emotions, while also being more likely to report hope and optimism regarding both climate change and parenting under its shadow. White women were the least likely group to report positive emotions about parenting during climate change, while white men were the most likely to report emotional numbness, indifference or disengagement. Religious affiliation also shaped emotional responses, with Christian respondents more likely to report positive emotions overall. The study highlights significant racial differences in how climate emotions shape reproductive and parenting decisions.