Does Climate Change Perception Reduce Life Satisfaction? Unequal Effects By Household Income Level

Background/Purpose:

Climate change is a shared social risk that affects populations broadly, yet its consequences are not equally distributed. Prior research has primarily examined climate risk perception in relation to environmental attitudes and behaviors, but its impact on life satisfaction remains underexplored, especially regarding the role of income in shaping this relationship. This study examines whether the relationship between climate risk perception and life satisfaction varies by household income and coping capacity in South Korea.

H1: Climate change perception negatively affects life satisfaction.

H2: Household income moderates this relationship, such that the negative association is weaker among higher-income groups.

H3: Coping capacity moderates the relationship between climate change perception and life satisfaction.

Methods:

This study uses cross-sectional data from the 2024 Korean Environmental Consciousness Survey (KEI), based on a nationally representative sample of 2,727 respondents. Climate risk perception and life satisfaction were measured using self-reported indicators. Household income and coping capacity were included as moderators. Hierarchical regression models with interaction terms were estimated, controlling for demographic characteristics, with survey weights applied in all analyses.

Results:

Climate risk perception had a significant negative effect on life satisfaction (β = -0.262, p < .001), supporting H1. Household income had a significant moderating effect (β = 0.052, p = .030), supporting H2. The negative effect of climate risk perception was stronger among lower-income groups and weaker among higher-income groups. Coping capacity had a significant positive effect on life satisfaction (β = 0.189, p < .001), but its interaction with climate risk perception was not statistically significant (β = -0.104, p = .200), failing to support H3.

Conclusions and Implications:

The results indicate that income plays a critical role in buffering the adverse effects of climate risk perception, whereas coping capacity does not moderate this relationship. This suggests that climate change is a socially stratified risk that cannot be effectively addressed at the individual level.

By providing quantitative evidence linking climate risk perception to life satisfaction, this study represents an early contribution to research on climate change and social welfare in South Korea. It highlights an underexamined intersection between environmental vulnerability and socioeconomic disparities, extending the scope of social welfare policy. This underscores the need for integrated approaches to climate change policy that address income inequality and strengthen social protection.