Global crises present a particular challenge at both the individual and societal level. Their threatening nature can cause psychological distress, and at the same time they cannot be addressed through individual actions alone but require collective efforts. With climate change becoming increasingly acute and the COVID-19 pandemic spreading globally in 2020, there are two global and systemic crises that are highly significant for people's experiences, wellbeing and behaviour. Young people emerged as being particularly affected psychologically by both crises, and they also play a central role in managing future crises. As part of the PhD thesis "Global crises and their effects using the examples of the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change: experiences, wellbeing and behaviour of young adults" by Vanessa Kulcar, young adults were therefore examined in the context of climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on quantitative and qualitative surveys, psychological distress and behaviours aimed at crisis containment, as well as interactions, similarities and differences between the two crises, were investigated.
This revealed the relevance of psychological responses to the crises, with effects on wellbeing and on crisis containment efforts. Particularly significant were feelings of despair relating to the pandemic, which were associated both with reduced wellbeing and with diminished efforts to contain both crises. This can be attributed to the acute, severe disruptions of the pandemic in the lives of young adults, whilst climate change represented a serious but more abstract threat. As time went on, the burden of the pandemic situation increased, manifesting among other things in loneliness due to restrictions on social contact. The understanding of the need to limit one's behaviour for the purpose of combating the pandemic decreased accordingly, which had effects on self-reported compliance with measures as well as on attitudes towards vaccination. These effects are not only significant for individuals but have consequences for society as a whole, with the young adults surveyed observing polarisation and social division. Overall, they were dissatisfied with crisis management and pessimistic about future developments.
Particularly given the emergence of further crises such as the war in Ukraine and an economic crisis, an understanding of young people's responses to existing global crises is of central importance. Only with sufficient knowledge of their experiences, wellbeing and behaviour can measures be taken to support them in coping with existing crises and preparing for further ones.
