A person-centered analysis of climate change appraisals: latent perception profiles and psychological and behavioral responses

Climate change represents a chronic global stressor which significantly affects health and well-being. Although prior research has highlighted climate-related emotional distress and coping, less is known about how the multiplicity of climate change perceptions relates to adaptive behavior. Grounded in a stress-coping theoretical framework, this study examined associations between climate change perceptions (e.g., impact, causes), distress, coping strategies, and two everyday pro-environmental behaviors (recycling; saving water and energy) in the Greek general population. A total of 352 individuals completed an online questionnaire. Latent profile analysis identified four perception-based groups: skeptics (5.1%), moderate skeptics (25.6%), climate change concerned (19.3%), and advocates (50%). While the vast majority acknowledged climate change as real, only the concerned and advocate groups reported greater distress, more active coping, and higher engagement in pro-environmental behaviors. The relationships between climate change distress and coping and behavioral responses did not differ across groups. The findings indicate that climate skepticism increasingly reflects psychological distancing from the perceived severity and proximity of climate change rather than denial. The study sheds light on how climate change perceptions are structured and linked to emotional and behavioral responses, and offers insights for more targeted and psychologically informed climate adaptation interventions.