Future Consciousness Research Articles

Green dreams are made of this: Futures consciousness and proenvironmental engagement.

Futures consciousness (FC) refers to the capacity to understand, anticipate and prepare for the future. As a form of future orientation, it encompasses five interrelated dimensions of time perspective, agency beliefs, openness to alternatives, systems perception and concern for others. We present here cross-sectional evidence that FC is related to greater environmental engagement, above and beyond other future orientation constructs. In two pre-registered studies (one convenience student sample and one representative sample; N = 1041), we found that respondents with higher futures consciousness reported greater proenvironmental behaviour (consumption behaviour, land stewardship, social environmentalism and environmental citizenship). FC proved a better predictor of proenvironmental behaviour than the Zimbardo Inventory's Future Time Perspective and the Consideration for Future Consequences Scale (Study 1). FC was also related to stronger biospheric values (Study 2). However, it was not significantly related to personal environmental footprint (derived from a 16-item calculator). Strikingly, the environmental footprint was also unrelated to the Proenvironmental Behaviour Scale, which could point to a lack of correspondence between measures of proenvironmental propensity and impact. We discuss implications for future-thinking research and interventions aiming to improve futures consciousness.

Relationship Between Green Finance Availability and Purchase Intentions in Generation Z and Millennials: Moderating Role of Consciousness

This study examines how the availability of green finance influences the purchasing intentions of Generation Z and Millennials, with consciousness as a moderating factor. A structured questionnaire was deployed to collect the data to measure five reflective constructs: purchase intention, Gen Z and Millennials’ green finance, environmental consciousness, future consciousness and status consciousness. The valid responses of 500 participants working at various levels in the information technology industry were subjected to normality tests, factor analysis, and structural equation modeling analysis. The data were normally distributed (Shapiro‒Wilk statistic p>0.05), and the survey instrument maintained internal consistency and reliability, as revealed by the Cronbach’s alpha values (>0.70). The structural equation modeling results revealed an excellent model fit, and the Gen Z and Millennials’ financial availability, future consciousness and status consciousness constructs were statistically significant and impacted the purchasing intentions of Gen Z and Millennials. Slope analysis reveals that consciousness is statistically significant and moderates the relationship between Gen Z and Millennial financing availability and purchase intentions. Consciousness strengthens the positive relationship between Gen Z and millennial finance availability and purchase intentions. The article reports novel findings that affect the purchase intentions of customers regarding the availability of green financing to Generation Z and Millennials. This is a new empirical study in which Generation Z and Millennials. This empirical study highlighted the environmental, social and managerial implications for green finance providers. Green finance opportunities need to be provided to Gen Z and Millennials so that they can make a habit of engaging in green finance practices. This will promote environmental protection, increase greener consumption options, and ensure social equity and sustainable economic development. If the green financing opportunities promoted to Gen Z and Millennials, more businesses can opt for greener options, greener products and greener marketing.

The seeds of tomorrow: Investigating adolescent perception of the future with the Futures Consciousness scale for adolescents

Futures Consciousness (FC) describes the human capacity to understand, anticipate, prepare for and embrace the future. Differences in FC between individuals (as a psychological construct) can be reliably measured quantitatively with the Futures Consciousness scale. However, the FC scale is only suitable for the adult population. Based on the contention that Futures Consciousness emerges at a younger age, we endeavour to develop and validate an adapted version of the FC scale that is suitable for adolescents (aged 11–18). This paper presents the statistical analyses that led to the validation of a 15-item instrument, the FC-Adolescent scale. Data from N = 1138 adolescents from five countries allowed us to validate the scale in four languages (English, Dutch, Italian, and Turkish) through a dual approach of confirmatory factor analyses and ant colony optimisation item-sampling procedure. The results show that the five-dimensional structure of FC also holds for adolescents and that it can be measured with the scale developed here. Interestingly, we found no correlation between FC and age in the range of 11–18 years old. We discuss implications for research and potential applications for educators and foresight practitioners.

The maps of meaning consciousness theory.

In simple terms, consciousness is constituted by multiple goals for action and the continuous adjudication of such goals to implement action, which is referred to as the maps of meaning (MoM) consciousness theory. The MoM theory triangulates through three parallel corollaries: action (behavior), mechanism (morphology/pathophysiology), and goals (teleology). (1) An organism's consciousness contains fluid, nested goals. These goals are not intentionality, but intersectionality, via the Darwinian byproduct of embodiment meeting the world, i.e., Darwinian inclusive fitness or randomization and then survival of the fittest. (2) These goals are formed via a gradual descent under inclusive fitness and are the abstraction of a "match" between the evolutionary environment and the organism. (3) Human consciousness implements the brain efficiency hypothesis, genetics, epigenetics, and experience-crystallized efficiencies, not necessitating best or objective but fitness, i.e., perceived efficiency based on one's adaptive environment. These efficiencies are objectively arbitrary but determine the operation and level of one's consciousness, termed as extreme thrownness. (4) Since inclusive fitness drives efficiencies in the physiologic mechanism, morphology, and behavior (action) and originates one's goals, embodiment is necessarily entangled to human consciousness as it is at the intersection of mechanism or action (both necessitating embodiment) occurring in the world that determines fitness. (5) Perception is the operant process of consciousness and is the de facto goal adjudication process of consciousness. Goal operationalization is fundamentally efficiency-based via one's unique neuronal mapping as a byproduct of genetics, epigenetics, and experience. (6) Perception involves information intake and information discrimination, equally underpinned by efficiencies of inclusive fitness via extreme thrownness. Perception is not a 'frame rate' but Bayesian priors of efficiency based on one's extreme thrownness. (7) Consciousness and human consciousness are modular (i.e., a scalar level of richness, which builds up like building blocks) and dimensionalized (i.e., cognitive abilities become possibilities as the emergent phenomena at various modularities such as the stratified factors in factor analysis). (8) The meta dimensions of human consciousness seemingly include intelligence quotient, personality (five-factor model), richness of perception intake, and richness of perception discrimination, among other potentialities. (9) Future consciousness research should utilize factor analysis to parse modularities and dimensions of human consciousness and animal models.

Futures participation as anticipatory practice — what do futures workshops do?

Futures workshop is a participatory futures research method for producing views on futures and facilitating transformation and empowerment. Since different workshop methods are generally considered to have many advantages, they are widely used in various futures contexts. However, there is little knowledge on how futures participation entails empowerment for thinking and acting on futures. This paper studies participants’ futures thinking and action in relation to their workshop experience. As psychological constructs for engaging with futures, the concepts of human agency and futures consciousness are used for the analysis. The study examines two futures workshops organized in Finland for farmers and stakeholders in the agricultural sector using the futures consciousness scale pre-post survey, an open-ended follow-up survey, and thematic interviews. The results of the study show that although there was no statistically significant change in futures consciousness, the workshop experience is absorbed into participants’ daily reality, provoking their uses of futures. By analyzing quantitative and qualitative data, it is thus concluded that the ways in which futures participation empowers futures thinking and action are not, and should not be held, evident. Therefore, it is proposed that regarding their empowerment assumptions, participatory futures methods should perform deeper self-consideration as anticipatory practice.

Futures consciousness and governance transitions for climate adaptation in South African protected areas

ABSTRACT In the context of climate change, protected areas play an important role in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals and addressing resource nexus challenges. However, setting protected areas for long-term conservation is often criticised for using narratives based on political, economic, and scientific assumptions to justify which elements of nature should be conserved and what actions should be implemented, creating a sense that conservation outcomes are desirable and universally accepted. Such narratives exclude other voices, values, and practices, limiting alternative options for the future. Adapting protected areas to climate change requires innovative approaches to address societal challenges and critically examining conservation strategies to make informed decisions under scenarios of change. This article presents the case of the Garden Route National Park in South Africa and the approach used to co-create inclusive visions of the future with local stakeholders. I draw on theoretical insights and empirical data collected through interviews with the park staff to describe the use of futures consciousness as an approach to understanding how people perceive change, prepare for, and embrace the future. I explore how people’s perceptions of change mobilize action to address complex problems and create alternative imaginaries beyond spatial and temporal boundaries. Futures consciousness can contribute to understanding processes that enable or constrain transformation and identifying options for mobilising change towards desired future goals. The findings can help managers examine individual and collective assumptions about adaptation, inform future-oriented practices and advance opportunities for transformational change to build resilient, just futures for nature and people.

The influence of green finance availability to retailers on purchase intention: a consumer perspective with the moderating role of consciousness.

As the global warming crisis is increasing daily, it is crucial to find ways to reduce the carbon footprint generated by activities like the production, consumption, and distribution of goods and services. This empirical study has looked at one approach through which environment-friendly production and consumption can be encouraged. The developed model has studied the relationship between retailers' access to green finance and consumer purchase intention of green products by incorporating the role of environmental, status, and future consciousness. Theoretical foundations for this model have been taken from the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) and theory of reasoned action (TRA), which have extensively discussed the role of consciousness and societal norms while making purchase intentions. To gain insights about the purchasing behaviour of consumers, this study collected data from the Jiangsu province of China, where a non-probability convenience sampling technique was used to distribute a questionnaire to 400 respondents between February 2022 and August 2022. The collected data was analysed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) in SmartPLS in order to study the relationship between independent and dependent variables. Results of this study show that retailers' access to green finance positively impacts consumer purchase intention towards green products, and adding a consciousness perspective in the model strengthens this relationship. Moreover, the theory of planned behaviour and the theory of reasoned action were validated through this study, providing insights for policymakers on the importance of promoting green finance to influence green product purchase intention. Overall, this study shows that policymakers should give green financing to retailers and environmental and future awareness to consumers to encourage environment-friendly behaviour.

Possibility space: The role of social sciences in understanding, mapping and shaping the future

Social science no longer does enough to map out the possibilities for the future, at a time when there is a serious need for more options. There are many reasons for this including the structure of incentives within universities, and the impact of an otherwise healthy focus on evidence and data. This piece describes both how social sciences can better understand the future and their role in helping to shape options, including methods for creativity, and the relationship between broad goals and experimental methods to find pathways. It addresses the problems of ‘materiality bias’, a bias towards exaggerating the influence of material over non-material factors and concludes with a discussion of how to think about future consciousness.

Framtidsmedvetande på museer

This study investigates how managers and employees at County Museums in Sweden think about, work with, and relate to the future in their daily practice. We examined which tools and routines the museums employ to work concretely with different future perspectives. The study is thus about those forms of future consciousness that exist in the museums. The results show that the future is implicitly present but often remains unarticulated in the work of the museum. The museums work with short future perspectives which are often linked to concrete tasks or development work. The future perspectives at the museums are largely locked in the present or in a near future. Concrete tools, skills and routines to develop future consciousness are lacking. However, the results show that there is great interest and willingness among Swedish County Museums to implement tools, skills, and routines for a more developed engagement with futures.

Young people’s situated capacity to imagine a desired post-pandemic future: A qualitative methodology for assessing futures consciousness

Futures consciousness (FC), considered to be the basis for human anticipation, is important for its role in facing uncertainties and delineating alternative courses of action. This is especially so for emerging adults, who are traversing a life stage fraught with uncertainty and complexity. The COVID-19 pandemic as a high-impact event may trigger modes of engaging with the future to become more explicit. Through critical engagement with the 5-dimensional FC model (Ahvenharju, Minkkinen, & Lalot, 2018), we develop a methodology for qualitatively assessing FC. We analyze how emerging Dutch and Greek adults narrate FC dimensions (time perspective, agency beliefs, openness to alternatives, systemic awareness, concern for others) in letters written from the perspective of a desired post-Corona future. Results show that emerging adults, although caught-up in a subjective timeframe in which the pandemic is enduring, think beyond immediate concerns. They do so in a way that conveys some attribution of agency and systemic awareness. Openness to alternatives is shown using several sophisticated linguistic devices. When further developed, the methodology will enable educators and futurists to support individual’s imagination of possible and preferred futures. This may contribute to resilient people and societies in and beyond times of economic, health, and environmental crises.

The intersection of trauma-informed futures and the coloniality of sexuality: building futures consciousness with Kenya’s LGBTQI+ community

PurposeThe purpose of this study is threefold: to pilot research on the role that trauma-healing and resilience play in developing futures consciousness/literacy; to explore how this informs the coloniality of sexuality; and to engage economically marginalised young gay and bisexual men in exploring future scenarios for the wider LGBTQI+ community in Kenya.Design/methodology/approachThis study used participatory action research to pilot the study. Workshop sessions focused on exploratory futures using an integral futures framework. Futures tools used consisted of the futures triangle, polak game and a two-by-two matrix scenario building exercise.FindingsParticipants found that previous psychosocial support and mental health counselling enabled them to address past traumas, find healing and begin a productive journey of unpacking their understanding of agency and engage with developing personal and communal futures thinking – all prerequisites for effectively addressing decoloniality.Originality/valueThis research represents the only study of the four-way intersection of trauma-healing, futures consciousness/literacy, the queer community in Africa and decoloniality and coloniality of sexuality.

Integrating crisis learning into futures literacy – exploring the “new normal” and imagining post-pandemic futures

PurposeCrises are major events or periods faced by individuals, groups and society. This paper aims to explore the value of facilitating (un)learning in and from crises. Educators have a key role in building futures literacy (FL) for dealing with uncertainties, understanding emergence and responding to rapid, complex change. Integrating crisis learning as part of FL is important for enhanced anticipatory and crisis responses.Design/methodology/approachAdapting from causal layered analysis (CLA) methodology, experimental virtual futures workshops were designed and hosted during the coronavirus pandemic. Participants discussed COVID-19 crisis responses and imagined the “new normal”. Sessions explored mindsets applied to make sense and derive meaning from the crisis, myriad ways of adapting to uncertainty, as well as lenses used to imagine post-crisis futures.FindingsIn the exploratory and participatory CLA exercises, participants shared on the COVID-19 pandemic and imagined post-crisis futures. Related hopes and fears concerned self, collectives and nature. Overall, despite the dramatic nature of crises, opportunities exist for learning and transformation. Educators play a central role in heightening awareness about the dynamics and nature of crises, and integrating crisis learning into FL, as important and transformative capabilities.Research limitations/implicationsIn exploratory dialogues, the “new normal” was applied as a frame for uncertainty. The workshops were hosted during the COVID-19 pandemic as a specific type of crisis. The workshop design is intended to be replicable in various crisis contexts and for iterative rounds with diverse groups. Therefore, futures images exemplify context-specific crisis-time sentiments. The findings presented here do not aim to be generalizable. They are liable to change across different crises, as a crisis evolves and across diverse stakeholders.Practical implicationsDramatic change and crisis events offer potential moments for development, advancement and transformation. Educators have an important role in facilitating (un)learning in and from crises, elevating FL and expanding futures consciousness. The CLA methodology can assist educators to engage with multiple facets, layers and dimensions of crises. By considering crises intently, educators can help in anticipating emergence, imagining and preparing for diverse alternatives.Social implicationsThe contemporary world is volatile, complex and ambiguous volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA), as revealed by multiple crises. Crises can spotlight new possibilities and horizons and may be possible turning points. The COVID-19 is an example of a crisis disruption, which provoked thinking and contributed to action about novel prospects. To realise transformative change however, it is important to integrate crisis learning as part of FL, and here educators are an important influence.Originality/valueIntegrating crisis learning into FL is proposed to improve responses to the rapid pace of change and uncertainty as well as to boost crisis preparedness. As part of this, there is value in applying and developing techniques such as CLA that help explore and question assumptions, to understand diverse, possible and transformed futures. This way, we can explore, imagine and expand new horizons.

Co‐exploring relational heuristics for sustainability transitions towards more resilient and just Anthropocene futures

AbstractIn this paper, four relational heuristic responses for exploring new modes of engagement, or patterns of activity, that could enliven humanity's efforts in fostering systemic thinking and action to inform sustainability transitions are offered. Their purpose is to realise more resilient and just Anthropocene futures. These relational heuristics are (1) re‐patterning our theories of change‐making, (2) cultivating a shared future consciousness, (3) creating transformative spaces and (4) engaging in processes of co‐exploration. We argue that these heuristics are better aligned for studying and responding to the systemic and interdependent nature of the real‐world challenges we are currently facing.

Aware of the Future?

Abstract. Introduction: Futures consciousness (FC) refers to the capacity that a person has for understanding, anticipating, and preparing for the future. A psychometric instrument, the FC scale, was recently developed to measure FC as an interindividual difference. However, this initial scale suffered from some shortcomings due to a few underperforming items. Objectives: In this paper, we present and validate the revised FC scale, which aims to address these shortcomings. Methods and Results: Data from a representative sample of N = 1,684 British participants demonstrated good psychometric properties of the revised scale (and better than the original) as well as good predictive validity. Specifically, individuals' scores were positively related to self-reported future-oriented behavior, such as engagement in civic collective action and general engagement in politics. The five-dimensional structure of the scale was also replicated. Conclusion: The revised FC scale proves a reliable tool that can be used by both researchers and practitioners.

Being future-conscious during a global crisis: The protective effect of heightened Futures Consciousness in the COVID-19 pandemic

Futures Consciousness (FC) refers to the capacity that a person has for understanding, anticipating, and preparing for the future. In many respects, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for future thinking, implying delay discounting, uncertainty, low sense of control, and self-sacrifice for the benefit of the community at large. FC might hence have an important role in explaining people's perceptions of and reactions to the pandemic. The results of a longitudinal study over the course of the summer 2020 found that UK participants (N = 298) who reported higher scores of FC at the first time of measure were more likely to express greater satisfaction and engagement with the COVID-19 government restrictions at the second time of measure. They also reported higher compassion for others, stronger sense of neighbourliness, and greater engagement in different forms of collective action. This positive engagement translated in benefit for the self: greater perceived wellbeing, lesser emotional blunting, and greater feelings of hope about the future. Remarkably, the same participants also reported greater concern about societal issues. It hence seems that FC triggers an active and aware engagement with the future. We discuss implications for future-thinking research and interventions aiming to improve Futures Consciousness.

Acceptability of radical consumption policies – Utilising futures consciousness to understand elite preferences

Future consciousness is typically considered an essential feature of good policy-making and a prerequisite for foresight processes, radical innovations and game-changing shifts in policy. The styles of future thinking have, however, rarely been studied among elite members. This paper presents a small n case study of 18 Finnish elite members. It compares their acceptance of radical policy choices and utilises a new five-dimensional model of futures consciousness to identify potential sources for differences in opinions. The results provide insight on the preferences and motivations related to the participants’ interests in supporting new policies and radical policy shifts. The aspects of futures consciousness help in shedding light on the ways the participants approached the issues and what kinds of arguments were used in favour or against new policies: How participants with higher systemic perception were concerned about the suitability of new policy measures to the current system whereas participants with high openness to alternatives were keen to imagine potential new solutions and look for paradigm shifts. This analysis increases our understanding of psychological processes behind decision-making and policy choices. It also gives insight on the question of how new policies should be developed and promoted to gain wide support among different kinds of elite members.

Individual futures consciousness: Psychology behind the five-dimensional Futures Consciousness scale

Future consciousness refers to the human capacity to understand, anticipate, prepare for, and embrace the future. The Futures Consciousness Scale has recently been developed to enable empirical study of the phenomenon among individuals. The scale is based on a five-dimensional model of Futures Consciousness (FC) that encompasses: i) Time Perspective, ii) Agency Beliefs, iii) Openness to Alternatives, iv) Systems Perception, and v) Concern for Others. The present article reviews the psychological theories, concepts and constructs that underlie the FC Scale in depth. It examines how the five dimensions could be manifested in individual behaviour, how they relate to each other and to other psychological phenomena. Furthermore, the article provides ideas and sources for researchers and practitioners interested in the concept of FC or in using the FC Scale in research or in educational settings.

МОДЕРНІЗАЦІЯ ФІЗИЧНОГО ВИХОВАННЯ МАЙБУТНІХ ВІЙСЬКОВИХ ЛІКАРІВ ШЛЯХОМ ВИЗНАЧЕННЯ ЇХ ТЕМПЕРАМЕНТУ

The training of modern military doctors is a long, multi-stage process that involves a comprehensive approach to training, where the acquisition of medical knowledge and skills is in inseparable tandem with physical training and sports development. This publication is devoted to the idea of modernization of the organization of the modern process of physical education and sports improvement of students of the faculty of training doctors for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In the course of the research the modern scientific literature was analyzed, pedagogical observation was carried out and a number of surveys and tests were conducted. According to the results of scientific research, this article reflects the idea of modernizing the technique of teaching physical culture using a personality-oriented approach, one aspect of which is to take into account the temperament of students, choosing sports-oriented classes designed to improve physical skills and harmonize future consciousness. military doctors, whose professional activity in the future will be associated with enormous physical activity and psycho-emotional stress. Personality-oriented approach and consideration of temperament as individual personality traits in the construction of physical education of future military doctors, reflects the main current trends and requirements for the educational process: modernization, humanization and individualization and meets the needs of modern students. Students of the faculty of training doctors for the Armed Forces of Ukraine of the National Medical University named after O.O. Bogomolets, as well as a personnel reserve for national security and defense.

Aware of the Future?

Abstract. Futures Consciousness refers to the capacity that a person has for understanding, anticipating, and preparing for the future. Although the concept is widely used in the field of futures research, no quantitative tool exists yet that assesses it. Drawing from a recent five-dimensional model that considers Time perspective, Agency beliefs, Openness to alternatives, Systems perception, and Concern for others as interrelated sub-dimensions of a general construct of Futures Consciousness, we developed a composite 20-item scale that measures Futures Consciousness as an interindividual difference. The psychometric properties of this new scale were examined through a dual approach of exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyses with a total of 1,301 participants in three languages (English, French, and Finnish). The scale’s structure proved satisfactory and fitted the hypothesized five-dimensional model in all three languages. Measures of internal and external validity (convergent and concurrent) also indicated good psychometric properties. Notably, individuals’ scores were positively related to the adoption of several social future-oriented behaviors such as pro-environmental and civic behavior. As such, the developed scale proves a reliable tool that could be of use for scholars and practitioners in futures studies as well as psychology.

The anatomy of plausible futures in policy processes: Comparing the cases of data protection and comprehensive security

Due to rapid change and wicked policy problems, anticipatory policymaking is increasingly important. In addition to methods for producing foresight knowledge, tools are needed to make sense of the increasing amounts of future-oriented argumentation. This article presents a comparative analysis of anticipatory argumentation in two fields: the EU data protection reform and the Finnish concept for comprehensive security. A three-layer heuristic framework is presented for qualitative analysis of statements on plausible futures. The first layer consists of specific expectations regarding the future. The second layer is the generic anticipatory storyline. The third layer consists of the underlying futures consciousness. The data protection case presents an institutional reform narrative with short time perspective and relatively high agency, while the comprehensive security case presents a crisis narrative based on a contingency planning orientation with long time perspective, relatively developed systems perception and relatively low agency. In policy foresight with high uncertainty and high aspirations of agency, reflexivity and ethical responsibility are crucial components of foresight. This article promotes these by providing a tool for structuring anticipatory assumptions. The tool can be used for studying policy documents or during the policy process to craft more rigorous future-oriented policies.