Big five and higher-order personality traits matter for climate-risk perception among moroccan farmers

Abstract

Abstract Climate change risk perception is increasingly recognized as an important antecedent of climate-related engagement, yet its psychological foundations remain underexplored in vulnerable, non-WEIRD contexts. This study examines associations between personality traits and affective climate-risk perception (denoting climate-related worry), among cereal farmers in Morocco. Drawing on the Big five and higher-order meta-trait personality framework, we model affective climate-risk perception as a function of both individual traits and their composite configurations. Using cross-sectional data from cereal-farming households, we estimate these associations through different analytical specifications. Results show that personality traits are significantly associated with affective climate-risk perception. At the trait level, Emotional Stability is consistently linked to lower levels of reported climate-related worry, whereas Extraversion and Openness are associated with higher worry. The findings suggest that engagement-oriented and information-seeking dispositions correspond with heightened emotional sensitivity to climate threats. At the meta-trait level, Meta-Plasticity is positively associated with affective climate-risk perception, whereas Meta-Stability is associated with lower worry. Exploratory composite configurations further reveal a non-linear, U-shaped association for a Social Harmony orientation. This indicates that moderate social embeddedness may coincide with lower concern, while very high levels are associated with increased affective climate-risk perception. Overall, the findings do not imply causal effects on behavior but demonstrate that perceived affective climate-risk is patterned along stable psychological dimensions, even under similar exposure conditions. By integrating these personality traits into affect-based climate-risk frameworks, this study highlights the role of psychological heterogeneity in shaping farmers’ responses to climate-risks and underscores the need for more targeted adaptation, climate communication, and resilience-building strategies in vulnerable agricultural communities.