ICT Proficiency as a Moderator of Climate Concern and Extreme Weather Expectations Among University Students of Business and Economics

Abstract

This study tested whether Information and Communication Technology (ICT) proficiency moderates the relationship between climate anxiety and specific expectations of future extreme weather events. Using survey data from 259 university students in Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, we applied moderation analysis (Hayes PROCESS Model 1) and find a significant moderation (Int = 0.108, p = 0.030; ΔR2 = 1.8%). A Johnson–Neyman procedure indicated that climate anxiety reliably predicts risk expectations once ICTSkill is ≥3.99 (≈76.8% of the sample). By embedding ICT proficiency as a domain-specific perceived behavioural control construct, our results suggest that targeted digital literacy training can serve as a sustainability education tool, converting climate concern into informed preparedness.