Sex Differences and Helplessness in Climate Change Doomscrolling

A qualitative and a quantitative component were part of the current thesis. 15 candidates were interviewed about their news consumption regarding climate change. The results of the interview analysis were used to develop an instrument to measure CCD. Subsequently, 130 adults answered this new instrument and other instruments in an online survey. Interviewees report that they feel most affected and drawn to read climate change news if they see news about catastrophes happening physically nearby themselves or a close person. Worry about future generation was also addressed. Several candidates report feeling powerless when confronted with climate change news. Only one candidate describes her past news consumption behaviours as excessive. Women engage in CCD more than men (b = .45, p = .008). Resilience to helplessness has a negative relationship with DS (b = -.012, p < .001). Conclusively, CCD seems more prevalent than DS and women are more affected by CCD than men. The new instrument for measuring CCD seems promising as it shows acceptable reliability and is normally distributed. It is recommended for use in future research.