Book Chapter

Does becoming a parent make you think differently about the environment?

By Gregory O. Thomas, Rose Fisher, Lorraine Whitmarsh, Taciano L. Milfont and Wouter Poortinga

Edited by Michaela Benzeval, Magda Borkowska, Charlotte Hamilton, Susan Harkness, Rebecca Parsons, Raj Patel and Alina Pelikh

Publication details

Publication date
Series or book
Insights 2018-19: Findings from the UK Household Longitudinal Study
Pages
pp. 34–35
Publisher
University of Essex: Institute for Social and Economic Research
View on understandingsociety.ac.uk

Summary

Key points: Having a child led to a reduction in the frequency of some environmental behaviours. New parents with an existing high level of
environmental concern increased their desire for a green lifestyle; however, this positive change in attitude did not translate to a change in behaviour. The findings from the research do not support the legacy hypothesis – that parents have an increased concern about the environment as they consider the environmental legacy left to their children.

Topics