THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC'S IMPACT ON THE PERCEPTION OF CLIMATE CHANGE IN THE EU

Abstract: The study examines how individuals’ perceptions of climate change as a threat have changed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Western and Eastern Europe. Different psychological theories about psychological links to the pandemic and climate change, psychological mechanisms, and the finite pool of worry effect were used to understand how the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic could affect individuals’ perception of climate change as a threat. Additionally, a theory regarding differences in Western and Eastern Europeans value beliefs was used to explain the differences in climate change perception between the regions. Individuals’ opinions from countries in Western and Eastern Europe were compared to each other with Eurobarometer data from 2019 before the pandemic and 2021, during the pandemic. Two OLS regression analyses were conducted per dataset, with four OLS regression analyses in total. This study finds that the COVID-19 pandemic affected the perception of climate change as a threat differently in Western and Eastern Europe, where Western Europeans showed an increased perception of climate change as a threat when compared to Eastern Europeans.