Direct and Indirect Effects of Weather Experiences on Life Satisfaction – Which Role for Climate Change Expectations?

This paper deals with the effect of (i) damage experience from extreme weather events (EWE) and (ii) expectations concerning future climate change on subjective well-being (SWB). We use data from a large representative survey carried out amongst German households. The effect of experienced weather events on the SWB of the heads of households is significant only in the case of heatwaves; the same cannot be said for storms, for heavy rain, and floods. Concerns about future climate change in households have a substantial negative impact on current SWB. In addition, we divide the impact of experience into direct and indirect effects of damage, deduced from the impact of experience on expectations regarding future climate change. Both direct and indirect effects of weather experiences are quantified. It becomes apparent that the indirect effect is significant, but small when compared to the direct effect.

Osberghaus, Daniel and Jan Kühling (2016), Direct and Indirect Effects of Weather Experiences on Life Satisfaction – Which Role for Climate Change Expectations?, Journal of Environmental Planning and Management 59(12) , 2198-2230