The Sustainability Spillover: Uncovering the Link between Informal Elder Care and Eco-Conscious Behaviors across the European Union

Abstract

Abstract Background and Objectives This study explores the association between informal caregiving for older adults and environmentally sustainable behaviors across the 27 European Union countries, aiming to identify how the gendered and domestic nature of environmentalism relates to elder care. Research Design and Methods Data from 41,742 respondents aged 16–74 were analyzed from the Survey of Gender Gaps in Unpaid Care, Individual and Social Activities and conducted by a scientific consortium in 2022. Frequency of sustainable behaviors was measured across 10 indicators. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regressions examined associations between caregiving and sustainable behaviors, adjusting for demographic, socioeconomic, and attitudinal covariates. Results Informal caregivers engaged in eco-friendly actions significantly more frequently than non-caregivers across all 10 sustainable-behavior indicators (p<0.001). The “caregiver effect” was strongest for sustainable-consumption choices like buying eco-friendly (β=0.16), fair-trade (β=0.15), and used products (β=0.17), and weaker for household practices such as recycling (β=0.05) and mindful resource consumption (β=0.06). Caregivers attained higher composite environmental behavior scores (33.93±8.23) than non-caregivers (31.88±8.00; p<0.001). This association remained robust after adjusting for gender, age, education, employment, household size, attitudes, and other covariates. Caregiving had the strongest association with buying used items (β=0.20) and eco-friendly products (β=0.14). Country-level analyses revealed consistent caregiver vs. non-caregiver differences, with the largest gaps in Southern and Eastern Europe. Discussion and Implications This is the first large-scale cross-national study that demonstrates a consistent association between older-adult caregiving and a wide range of environmentally sustainable behaviors. Results suggest the experience of caring for a vulnerable family member is closely related to a broader sense of social and environmental responsibility. Caregivers’ heightened engagement in sustainable consumption positions them as potential early adopters and change makers. Findings highlight new avenues for environmental education and caregiver support initiatives that synergistically promote interpersonal and environmental care.