Abstract
Environmental problems are due to the fact of humans prioritizing their narrow personal interests over collective interests. How can pro-environmental behavior be promoted without requiring people to behave in ways that go against their selfish tendencies? Kin selection theory asserts that humans are predisposed to ensure the survival and replication of their genes which they share with their offspring. We hypothesized that appeals to the welfare of their children would foster pro-environmental decision-making through activating a parental care motivation. Four studies examined the impact of messages about the welfare of (potential) children on environmental intentions. Overall, the results show that children-based appeals indirectly fostered ecological intentions through an increased parental care motivation. Furthermore, meta-analyses triangulated these findings by showing that people with children show greater parental care and pro-environmental intentions. These results are discussed in light of the kin selection theory, and its implications for environmental policymaking are addressed.
Highlights
Among the major challenges the world is facing is the problem of global environmental change
Our main prediction suggests that children-based appeals will positively influence behavioral and altruistic intentions through an increase in the parental care motive
As the parental care motivation might be influenced by life history variables, such as sex, age, and parenthood status [32,36], all analyses in the present study as well as in the following ones were conducted statistically controlling for these variables
Summary
Among the major challenges the world is facing is the problem of global environmental change. If nothing is being done, by 2052, the earth temperature is likely to rise by 1.5 ◦C above pre-industrial levels [1] Such an increase in temperature will probably have devastating ecological and social effects, the costs of which will be carried by future generations. Over the past few years, these future generations—our children and grandchildren—have come out in massive numbers to make a stance against climate change and persuade governments and industry to take appropriate action to promote sustainability. On 20 September 2019, more than 4 million schoolchildren participated in demonstrations worldwide to demand political action for a better climate [2]. Are these attempts effective? Are governments and the people who vote for them persuaded by appeals about the welfare of their children and grandchildren? This research examines the effectiveness of children-based appeals in persuading people to behave more sustainably
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