The present study considers the correlation between parenthood and worry about the consequences of climate change. Two approaches to gauging people's perceptions of the risks of climate change are compared: the classic approach, which measures risk perception, and the emotion-based approach, which measures feelings toward a risk object. The empirical material is based on a questionnaire-based survey of 3,529 people in Sweden, of whom 1,376 answered, giving a response rate of 39%. The results show that the correlation of parenthood and climate risk is significant when the emotional aspect is raised, but not when respondents were asked to do cognitive estimates of risk. Parenthood proves significant in all three questions that measure feelings, demonstrating that it is a determinant that serves to increase worry about climate change.

The present study considers whether parenthood has an impact on the worries that women and men have about climate change for the next generation and examines whether there are differences between the worries of mothers and fathers. The empirical material is based on a questionnaire-based survey that was administered in 2011 to a random selection of 3500 individuals in Sweden, with a response rate of 31%. The results indicate that parenthood, regardless of the parent's gender, increases an individual's worries about the impact of climate change on the next generation. Fathers are significantly more worried about climate change than men who are not parents; however, mothers do not worry significantly more than women who are not parents. In general, regardless of parenthood status, women worry about climate change more than men.

Worrying about the consequences of climate change. Climate behaviour and the meaning of caring for future generations The aim of the study was to see how care-worry about the consequences of climate change for future generations are experienced and handled by informants in a Swedish context. The term care-worry refer to an assembly of several approaches, such as empathy, care, responsibility, worry, and justice towards other people and coming generations. Care-worry is related to and initiates people’s attitudes and behaviours towards future risks. Empirically, the study is based on thematic interviews conducted in the year 2016 and deals with informants who explicitly expressed worries about climate change for future generations. All 24 informants turned out to be parents. From the material, four ideal types were depicted, which in different ways can illustrate the parents’ care-worry. Different climate behaviours also seem to be linked to these ideal types. The study as a whole shows that parents’ care-worries affect them in various ways to reduce their own climate footprint in the future. Many of them choose a more sustainable lifestyle for the sake of future generations.