How do children encourage their parents to adopt green consumption behaviour? - An analysis of the perspective of moral elevation

IF 10.9 1区环境科学与生态学 Q1 ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Sustainable Production and Consumption Pub Date : 2025-02-24 DOI:10.1016/j.spc.2025.02.024

Feiyu Chen , Tong Zhang , Jing Hou , Hong Chen , Ruyin Long , Tianze Zhang

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The United Nations sustainable development goals provide a guarantee for the future development of children, highlighting the pivotal role of children as beneficiaries and learners in fostering sustainable development. However, how children can actively contribute to achieving the sustainable development goals remains underexplored. This study delves into the intergenerational transmission of green concepts within families, specifically exploring how children can exert influence on their parents' green consumption behaviour. Two field experiments are conducted to reveal the dynamics and mechanisms of children's influence on their parents' environmentally friendly behaviour. The result of Study I (Number of experimental group = 320, Number of control group = 314) suggests that trans-education within the family, initiated by children who have received education on green and low-carbon, fosters enhanced green consumption behaviour among their parents. Expanding upon this insight, Study II (Number of experimental group = 1588) elucidates that the transformation in parents' behaviour is not immediate but rather follows a “push” mechanism. Specifically, trans-education stimulates moral elevation in parents, eliciting positive moral motion and a heightened proclivity towards green and low-carbon actions. Moreover, trans-education not only directly inspires parents to cultivate more personal norms related to green and low-carbon, but also reinforces parents' personal norms by further bolstering their moral elevation, ultimately translating into concrete green and low-carbon actions. Notably, the attribution of parental responsibility moderates the impact of trans-education on green consumption behaviour. Parents who hold a high sense of parental responsibility not only assimilate cross-generational education more effectively but also excel at transforming these notions into tangible green consumption behaviour.

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孩子如何鼓励父母采取环保消费行为？——道德提升视角分析

联合国可持续发展目标为儿童的未来发展提供了保障，突出了儿童作为受益者和学习者在促进可持续发展中的关键作用。然而，儿童如何为实现可持续发展目标作出积极贡献的问题仍未得到充分探讨。本研究探讨了绿色观念在家庭中的代际传递，特别是探讨了孩子如何影响父母的绿色消费行为。通过两个实地实验揭示了儿童对父母环境友好行为影响的动态和机制。研究一（实验组人数为320人，对照组人数为314人）的结果表明，由接受过绿色低碳教育的孩子发起的家庭跨性别教育可以促进父母绿色消费行为的增强。在此基础上，研究II（实验组数量= 1588）阐明了父母行为的转变不是立竿见影的，而是遵循一种“推动”机制。具体来说，跨性别教育激发了父母的道德提升，引发了积极的道德运动，并提高了对绿色和低碳行动的倾向。此外，跨性别教育不仅可以直接激励家长培养更多与绿色低碳相关的个人规范，还可以通过进一步提升父母的道德修养来强化父母的个人规范，最终转化为具体的绿色低碳行动。值得注意的是，父母责任的归因调节了跨性别教育对绿色消费行为的影响。具有高度父母责任感的父母不仅能更有效地吸收跨代教育，而且善于将这些观念转化为有形的绿色消费行为。

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来源期刊

Sustainable Production and Consumption Environmental Science-Environmental Engineering

CiteScore

17.40

自引率

7.40%

发文量

389

审稿时长

13 days

期刊介绍： Sustainable production and consumption refers to the production and utilization of goods and services in a way that benefits society, is economically viable, and has minimal environmental impact throughout its entire lifespan. Our journal is dedicated to publishing top-notch interdisciplinary research and practical studies in this emerging field. We take a distinctive approach by examining the interplay between technology, consumption patterns, and policy to identify sustainable solutions for both production and consumption systems.