How Climate Change Views Shape Citizens’ Support for Decision-Making Models

The challenge of human-induced climate change has not only prompted policy debates but also raised concerns regarding the adequacy of representative democracies in addressing the crisis. Scholars and activists alike have called for more inclusive decision-making processes, technocratic interventions, or even authoritarian means. However, little is known about how public concern over climate change influences preferences for representative democracy and alternative models of democratic decision-making. This paper addresses this gap by examining the link between climate change attitudes and political decision-making preferences. Using data from a pre-registered study drawing on a quota survey among German respondents, I study the association between climate anxiety and support for four decision-making models: representative democracy, direct democracy, technocracy, and autocracy. The analysis reveals a complex picture: climate anxiety is positively linked to support for both representative democracy as well as technocratic and autocratic models, while direct democracy shows no significant association.