Parents and the environment: How children influence their parents' climate concerns

Parents and the environment: How children influence their parents' climate concerns

A new study by Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch from the University of Oldenburg and Prof. Dr. Nicole Kapelle from Trinity College Dublin looks at the influence of the birth of a child on parents' environmental and climate concerns. This study, based on data from the Socio-Economic Panel (SOEP) from 1984 to 2020, comes to the conclusion that the birth of a child has only a small overall impact on parents' environmental and climate concerns. That reports UOL.

Mothers and fathers show different developments in their worries after the birth. While fathers report fewer environmental concerns before and after birth, mothers report slightly increasing levels of concern. There is a notable shift in climate change issues: fathers show more concern after birth, while mothers appear less worried. Zoch suspects that gender differences play a role. Fathers tend to focus more on economic and political aspects, while mothers are more concerned with direct environmental problems.

Influence of education and gender roles

The study also finds that parental education plays a minor role in this context. Differences between academics and non-academics are small. Nevertheless, academically educated parents with primary school-aged children show more concern about environmental and climate protection than before they were born. Mothers also carry more care work and are often more affected by changes in everyday life and their career prospects.

As part of the study, a total of 108,340 interviews on environmental protection and 39,028 on climate protection were evaluated, covering a period from two years before to ten years after birth. This comprehensive longitudinal data makes the study one of the most comprehensive of its kind in Germany.

Children as multipliers of environmental awareness

Another dimension is highlighted by studies showing how children can influence their parents when it comes to climate knowledge. Girls in particular have a strong influence on fathers who are skeptical about climate protection, as a study by North Carolina State University shows. In this study, around 350 students took part in a special teaching module on climate change and were surveyed before and after the lesson. The children who took part in this module showed an increased awareness of climate issues and actively sought discussions with their parents.

These results demonstrate a noticeable influence of children on parental attitudes. Girls showed more concern during class than boys, suggesting a differentiation in perceptions of climate issues. Children who are informed about climate change from an early age can be able to make a significant difference in the consciousness of their families. Considering children as underappreciated actors in climate communication could have important implications for future campaigns. Their influence could be used to target hard-to-reach groups, as children tend to be less ideological than adults.

Studies show that children actively influence the discussion about climate protection in their families. It turns out that measures such as student protests, such as those inspired by the Fridays for Future movement, can dynamically change not only public consciousness, but also the climate within families. Discussions about climate change at the dinner table are thus often a product of this new generation of environmentalists, giving the issue an added sense of urgency.

Overall, research makes it clear that both parental and child perspectives are critical to understanding and responding to environmental and climate issues. Combining findings from different studies can help increase awareness and activity about climate action among all age groups. This could ultimately lead to a more sustainable approach to our environment, as well Climate facts discuss.