Prevention

Berlin – November 12, 2026 -- Forty-two percent of surveyed German students report strong to extreme climate anxiety, and health insurer mkk - meine krankenkasse and Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) are now offering universities a prevention program to address it.

Survey of 4,494 students from about 190 universities drives program design

The program, called KLIM MENT, is based on a non-representative online survey from the 2024/2025 winter semester. Respondents came from roughly 190 higher education institutions. Many said they want personal and psychological support, low-threshold contact points, and better communication and transparency from their universities.

Berlin – November 03, 2026 -- 84 percent of participants in the pilot phase of a new climate anxiety prevention program said it left them feeling strengthened, according to initial unpublished results from health insurer mkk - meine krankenkasse.

Insurer targets student mental health with multi-stage program

mkk developed the multi-stage program with the Hamburg University of Applied Sciences (HAW Hamburg) and students. Its aims are to support young people in coping with climate anxiety, strengthen their mental health and open up new courses of action.

The program responds to survey findings that more than half of students in Germany report strong to extremely strong fear of climate change and related psychological strain.