Evaluating climate change behaviors and concern in the family context

Although research suggests that family dynamics likely play a role in shaping children's behaviors, few studies focus on environmental behaviors, and none to our knowledge investigate how parents shape climate change mitigation behaviors among their children. We begin to fill this gap through a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental education research 2019-05, Vol.25 (5), p.678-690
Main Authors: Lawson, Danielle F., Stevenson, Kathryn T., Peterson, M. Nils, Carrier, Sarah J., Seekamp, Erin, Strnad, Renee
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent Attitudes
Case Studies
Children
Children & youth
children, quantitative research
Climate
Climate change
Climate change mitigation
Environmental behavior
environmental behaviors
Environmental Education
families
Families & family life
Family Environment
Family Relationship
Households
intergenerational
Levels
Middle School Students
Middle School Teachers
Middle Schools
Parent Attitudes
Parent Child Relationship
Parents
Predictor Variables
Science Teachers
Student Attitudes
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Summary:Although research suggests that family dynamics likely play a role in shaping children's behaviors, few studies focus on environmental behaviors, and none to our knowledge investigate how parents shape climate change mitigation behaviors among their children. We begin to fill this gap through a quantitative case study using matched household-level survey data from 182 coastal North Carolina families (n = 241 parents aged 29-77; n = 182 students aged 11-14) associated with 15 middle school science teachers. Family climate change discussions, parent behaviors, and children's climate change concern levels predicted the degree to which children will participate in individual-level climate mitigation behaviors. These results provide evidence that promoting climate-related conversations within households may promote climate action even when parents are apathetic about climate change. Similarly, parental behaviors, but not their concern levels, were important predictors of adolescent behaviors. This study highlights novel ways that family dynamics may promote climate change mitigating behaviors and a new pathway to promoting climate mitigation at familial, and ultimately, societal levels.
ISSN:1350-4622
1469-5871
DOI:10.1080/13504622.2018.1564248