Action, communication, and engagement: How parents “ACE” Children's pro-environmental behaviors

Abstract

Parents are important role models for directing children's learning toward pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs; Grønhøj & Thøgersen, 2017). However, how children learn from their parents about the environment is still relatively unexplored. The present study investigated the relationship by examining parents' and children's pro-environmental behaviors as well as parent-children interactions. A sample of 518 Chinese families (1036 participants total – one child and one primary caregiver in each family) from five Chinese cities participated in the study. Children and their parents filled out an online survey about their PEBs and interactions toward the environment separately. Overall PEBs and subcategories of PEBs were analyzed. It was found that the direct relationship between parents' and children's PEBs was fully mediated by children's perceptions of parental actions and marginally mediated by parent-child communication and parent-child engagement about protecting the environment, except in the subcategory of “Energy Conservation on AC/Heat/Air-Purifier.” The results revealed that parents' PEBs might not affect their children's PEBs unless these PEBs are directly observable by the children via discussing environmental issues, showing PEBs in front of their children, or engaging in pro-environmental activities with their children. Age and city differences between parents' and children's PEBs were explored. Implications were discussed regarding environmental education programs involving parents directly.