Growing research highlights significant yet complex links between eco-anxiety and pro-environmental behaviour (PEB). It remains unclear to what extent this relationship is shaped by additional factors, and longitudinal investigations are particularly needed to capture the dynamic interplay between the constructs. Furthermore, younger generations are especially important to consider because they report alarmingly strong negative responses to environmental crises. This study examines how eco-anxiety relates to PEB in young adults over time, focusing on the roles of hope and coping.


The study employs a longitudinal two-wave design with a one-year interval. A convenience sample of 560 participants was collected for the first wave of the study. After data exclusion due to several reasons, e.g. participants' age outside the target range, the final sample comprised 455 adults aged 18 to 35 years (M = 22.47; SD = 4.40); 71.5% female. The participants who agreed to be further contacted will be invited to participate at the second wave of the study at the beginning of 2026. Items from the Climate Change Anxiety Scale (Clayton & Karazsia, 2020), the Coping Strategies instrument (Ojala, 2012; Ojala & Bengtsson, 2019), and the Hope-Index (Sangervo et al., 2022) are used, together with the questions about environmentally friendly consumption. Structural equation modelling framework will be applied to data analysis.


Drawing on prior findings and theories such as the transactional model of stress and coping, we expect robust longitudinal links between eco-anxiety and environmentally friendly consumption, with hope and coping playing significant explanatory roles. Anxiety is anticipated to predict the behaviour over time, while coping strategies and hope may uniquely mediate and moderate this relationship. Clarifying these mechanisms is key to designing interventions that promote adaptive responses to ecological crisis among young people.