Comprehension of climate change and environmental attitudes across the lifespan

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Christina Degen
  • Sara Elisa Kettner
  • Hermann Fischer
  • Johannes Lohse
  • Joachim Funke
  • Christiane Schwieren
  • Timo Goeschl
  • Johanna Schröder
Given the coincidence of the demographic change and climate change in the upcoming decades the aging voter gains increasing importance in climate change mitigation and adaptation processes. It is generally assumed that information status and comprehension of complex processes underlying climate change are prerequisites for adopting pro-environmental attitudes and taking pro-environmental actions. In a cross-sectional study, we investigated in how far (1) environmental knowledge and comprehension of feedback processes underlying climate change and (2) pro-environmental attitudes change as a function of age. Our sample consisted of 92 participants aged 25–75 years (mean age 49.4 years, SD 17.0). Age was negatively related to comprehension of system structures inherent to climate change, but positively associated with level of fear of consequences and anxiousness towards climate change. No significant relations were found between environmental knowledge and pro-environmental attitude. These results indicate that, albeit understanding of relevant structures of the climate system is less present in older age, age is not a limiting factor for being engaged in the complex dilemma of climate change. Results bear implications for the communication of climate change and pro-environmental actions in aging societies.
Original languageEnglish
JournalZeitschrift für Gerontologie und Geriatrie
Volume47
Issue number6
Pages (from-to)490-494
Number of pages5
ISSN0948-6704
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 06.08.2014
Externally publishedYes

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Crack propagation in as-extruded and heat-treated mg-dy-nd-zn-zr alloy explained by the effect of lpso structures and their micro-and nanohardness
  2. Out of the box
  3. Correction to
  4. Dimensions of digital transformation in the context of modern agriculture
  5. Achieving consumer trust on Twitter via CSR communication
  6. Vibration Converter with Passive Energy Management for Battery‐Less Wireless Sensor Nodes in Predictive Maintenance
  7. Conception and analysis of Cascaded Dual Kalman Filters as virtual sensors for mastication activity of stomatognathic craniomandibular system
  8. Effects of season and man-made changes on baseflow and flow recession
  9. Tripartite networks show that keystone species can multitask
  10. Representation of Integration Profiles Using an Ontology
  11. Towards Ecosystems for Responsible AI
  12. Formative assessment in mathematics
  13. Learner pragmatics at the discourse level: Staying “on topic” in a telecollaborative eTandem task
  14. Who’s afraid of the senses? Organization, management and the return of the sensorium
  15. Implementation of EU labour law directives by way of national collective agreements
  16. Fallstudie
  17. Inclusive conservation and the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework
  18. A Critical Evaluation of Network Approaches for Studying Species Interactions
  19. Skills and knowledge management in higher education
  20. Timing and fragmentation of daily working hours arrangements and income inequality
  21. Tentative Theses on Transformative Research in Real-World Laboratories
  22. Balancing the Boundary
  23. Future-proofing ecosystem restoration through enhancing adaptive capacity
  24. Microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture behaviors of large-scale sand-cast Mg-3Y-2Gd-1Nd-0.4Zr alloy
  25. Ecology: Mammals, interaction networks and the relevance of scale
  26. Operationalising the leverage points perspective for empirical research
  27. Differential mortality rates in major and subthreshold depression
  28. Repräsentation oder Gebrauchsort?
  29. Relativity in Social Cognition: Basic processes and novel applications of social comparisons
  30. Heterogenität
  31. An analysis of the requirements for DSS on integrated river basin management
  32. You Are Where You Eat: A Theoretical Perspective on Why Identity Matters in Local Food Groups
  33. Anatomical and neuromuscular variables strongly predict maximum knee extension torque in healthy men
  34. From temporal myopia to foresight: Bridging the near and the distant future through temporal work
  35. Evaluating the (cost-)effectiveness of guided and unguided Internet-based self-help for problematic alcohol use in employees
  36. Cultural change in Asia and beyond