SCROLLING TOWARDS APATHY? INVESTIGATING THE LINK BETWEEN CLIMATE DOOMSCROLLING, ECO-ANXIETY, AND CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN GENERATION Z

Abstract

The spread of digital media has altered the processing of climate change among the members of Generation Z by reducing the distinction between awareness and emotional saturation. This paper explores the relationship between climate doomscrolling (regular consumption of bad climate news) with eco-anxiety and future civic engagement in Gen Z, and the intervening role of self-efficacy. The study utilizes a sequential explanatory mixed-methods research design, based on a survey sample of 950 Pakistani Gen Z participants, and 25 semi-structured qualitative interviews, which were intended to represent various doomscrolling and engagement patterns. Structural equation modeling quantitative analysis shows a significant positive relationship between doomscrolling and eco-anxiety (b =.61, p <.001). Although the direct impact of doomscrolling on civic engagement is insignificant (b = .05, ns), eco-anxiety mediates this relationship: the higher the eco-anxiety, the more the online activism (b =.29, p <.01), but the higher the eco-anxiety, the higher the paralysis of inaction (b =.23, p <.05). These pathways are moderated by self-efficacy: those who reported greater self-efficacy develop eco-anxiety into engagement, but those who reported lower self-efficacy are more likely to develop eco-anxiety into disengagement. Qualitative thematic analysis serves as a support of the quantitative results and demonstrates three main themes, namely paralysis due to overwhelming, urgency-based motivation and community seeking as an emotional buffer. These findings indicate that climate doomscrolling is a two-sided sword: it may trigger motivation and even apathy depending on psychological and social supporting factors. These dynamics can be explained by the theoretical combination of cultivation theory and cognitive-affective models of media use and the theory of planned behavior. In a practical sense, the findings suggest creating climate communication that modifies negative exposure, enhances perceived efficacy and supports supportive digital communities. Further studies are needed to take longitudinal designs and cross-cultural comparisons in order to track down the effects of doomscrolling on civic outcomes across time and across different sociocultural contexts.