Az ELTE Társadalomtudományi Kutatóközpont (MTA Kiváló Kutatóhely) 

Szociológiai Kutatóintézete 

tisztelettel meghívja 175. Jour Fixe eseményére

 

 Ecological Citizenship under Stress: Climate-Anxiety and Pro-Environmental behaviour in Hungary   

 

Előadók: Gébert Judit, Kristóf Luca (ELTE TK SZI)

Hozzászólók: Csutora Mária (BCE), Brys Zoltán (ELTE TK SZI)

Időpont: 2026. június 11. csütörtök 13:00
 

Helyszín: Az eseményt hibrid formában tartjuk meg.

 

Személyesen: Szociológiai Intézet 1097 Budapest Tóth Kálmán utca 4.;  B.1.15

 

Online: Zoom link:

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https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89456526171?pwd=N9PAYCrwZerYb8u0G80bh5L34JLXfU.1

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Passcode: 257615

 

Absztrakt : 

 

This article investigates how ecological citizenship (EC) ideals and climate anxiety jointly shape pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) in Hungary, a Central and Eastern European context marked by low institutional trust, weak civic engagement and a persistent prioritisation of economic concerns. Conceptually, EC is operationalised as two attitudinal components – environmental attitudes (responsibility toward nature) and caring attitudes (concern for human and non-human others) – and two behavioural components – private PEB (food and energy consumption) and public PEB (eco-political actions). Using data from a nationally representative face-to-face survey of Hungarian adults (N = 1,000; January–March 2023), we apply principal component analysis to derive EC attitude dimensions and construct three PEB indices (eco-political actions, sustainable food consumption, and energy-saving practices). Logistic and linear regression models are used to assess the effects of EC attitudes and climate anxiety, controlling for socio-demographic and political variables.

Climate anxiety is widespread (73% report being worried about climate change), while EC attitudes and behaviours are more modestly established. Environmental attitudes are common (53.5% above average) and strongly associated with private PEB, whereas caring attitudes are less prevalent (33.8%) and largely unrelated – or even negatively related – to PEB, especially eco-political action. Public‑sphere engagement is rare (23% above average) and not significantly predicted by EC attitudes. Across all models, climate anxiety emerges as the most consistent positive predictor of both private and public PEB, net of controls. The findings indicate a marked attitude–behaviour gap in the political dimension of EC and suggest that, in the Hungarian context, fear- and concern-based motivations currently play a more important role in mobilising ecological action than do care-based ethical commitments. 

 

A kézirat kérésre elérhető a szerzőknél gebert.judit@tk.hu vagy kristof.luca@tk.hu címen. 

This article investigates how ecological citizenship (EC) ideals and climate anxiety jointly shape pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) in Hungary, a Central and Eastern European context marked by low institutional trust, weak civic engagement and a persistent prioritisation of economic concerns. Conceptually, EC is operationalised as two attitudinal components – environmental attitudes (responsibility toward nature) and caring attitudes (concern for human and non-human others) – and two behavioural components – private PEB (food and energy consumption) and public PEB (eco-political actions). Using data from a nationally representative face-to-face survey of Hungarian adults (N = 1,000; January–March 2023), we apply principal component analysis to derive EC attitude dimensions and construct three PEB indices (eco-political actions, sustainable food consumption, and energy-saving practices). Logistic and linear regression models are used to assess the effects of EC attitudes and climate anxiety, controlling for socio-demographic and political variables.

Climate anxiety is widespread (73% report being worried about climate change), while EC attitudes and behaviours are more modestly established. Environmental attitudes are common (53.5% above average) and strongly associated with private PEB, whereas caring attitudes are less prevalent (33.8%) and largely unrelated – or even negatively related – to PEB, especially eco-political action. Public‑sphere engagement is rare (23% above average) and not significantly predicted by EC attitudes. Across all models, climate anxiety emerges as the most consistent positive predictor of both private and public PEB, net of controls. The findings indicate a marked attitude–behaviour gap in the political dimension of EC and suggest that, in the Hungarian context, fear- and concern-based motivations currently play a more important role in mobilising ecological action than do care-based ethical commitments. 

 

A kézirat kérésre elérhető a szerzőknél.