Evaluating climate change behaviors and concern in the family context

Abstract

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.

Keywords:

• Climate change
• families
• environmental behaviors
• intergenerational
• children, quantitative research

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by North Carolina Sea Grant supported by the NOAA office of Sea Grant, United States Department of Commerce, under grant No. 2016-R/16-ELWD-1.

Notes on contributors

Danielle F. Lawson

Danielle F. Lawson is a Ph.D. Candidate at NC State University in the Department of Parks, Recreation, & Tourism Management. Her research seeks to understand how environmental education experiences can empower children to be agents of environmental change through intergenerational learning.

Kathryn T. Stevenson

Kathryn T. Stevenson is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, & Tourism Management within the College of Natural Resources at NC State University. Her research seeks to understand the drivers of environmental literacy, with a particular interest in nature-based learning, climate change education, and intergenerational learning.

M. Nils Peterson

M. Nils Peterson is a Professor of Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conversation Biology within the Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources at NC State University. His research focuses on the human dimensions of conservation biology.

Sarah J. Carrier

Sarah J. Carrier is an Associate Professor in the Department of Teacher Education and Learning Sciences within the College of Education at NC State University. Her research focuses on how environmental education within the formal education setting can promote science learning.

Erin Seekamp

Erin Seekamp is an Associate Professor and Tourism Extension Specialist in the Department of Parks, Recreation, & Tourism Management within the College of Natural Resources at NC State University. Her research focuses on decision-making and capacity building particularly in the areas of climate change and community-based conservation.

Renee Strnad

Renee Strnad is the North Carolina coordinator for Project Learning Tree and an environmental educator for Extension Forestry within the College of Natural Resources at NC State University.