The concern about main crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change's impact on energy-saving behavior

The number of crises experienced around the world forces people to reconsider and reassess various aspects of their lives. The energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine and uncontrolled climate change revealed the importance of energy-saving behavior. Thus, the aim of this paper is to analyze the concerns about current crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change's impact on energy-saving behavior and changes in environmental concern. Referring to the survey conducted in Lithuania in 2022, where 1000 respondents participated, the results revealed that the war in Ukraine was the most concerning problem. The level of climate change concern was slightly lower. Meanwhile, the Covid-19 pandemic was the least important problem in Lithuania in 2022. Furthermore, respondents stated that the Covid-19 pandemic contributed to the changes in environmental concern and energy-saving actions more than the war in Ukraine did. Meanwhile, the Generalized Linear Model results revealed that only the war in Ukraine positively and significantly influenced energy-saving behavior. The Covid-19 pandemic concern negatively affected energy-saving behavior, while the climate change concern factor affected it indirectly, as the interaction of attitudes toward energy consumption. Thus, this study revealed the main aspect of and how to encourage energy-saving behavior in the context of the main current crises.

Automated summary

The number of crises experienced worldwide has led to a reevaluation of various aspects of people's lives. This paper examines concerns regarding current crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change's impact on energy-saving behavior and environmental concern. A survey conducted in Lithuania in 2022 revealed that the war in Ukraine was the most concerning problem, followed by climate change. The Covid-19 pandemic was found to have contributed more to changes in environmental concern and energy-saving actions. Additionally, the war in Ukraine positively influenced energy-saving behavior, while the Covid-19 pandemic concern had a negative influence.