Connectedness with nature and the decline of pro-environmental behavior in adolescence: A comparison of Canada and China

Krettenauer, Tobias; Wang, Wan; Jia, Fanli; Yang, Ying

doi:10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.101348

Cited by 71 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Concerning the age of students, in this study, younger students had more pronounced attitudes toward nature preservation and they were more likely to practice environmental behaviours than older students. which is in line with the literature, as other researchers have also shown that younger students tend to have more positive environmental attitudes [50,60] and behaviours [61] than older students. It is worrying that older students care less about the environment than younger students This is a challenge that educational programs and policies must face.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Students’ Care for Dogs, Environmental Attitudes, and Behaviour

2020

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Does the act of caring for a dog have a substantial connection to the environmental values and behaviours of children? The scientific current literature contains little empirical research regarding the effect of pet ownership on environmental attitudes and behaviours in children. The Two Factor Model of Environmental Values (2-MEV) scale and the General Ecological Behaviour (GEB) scale were applied to measure environmental attitudes/values and ecological behaviours aligned with the Children's Care for Dogs Questionnaire (CTDQ) to measure individual care for dogs.The subjects were Slovenian adolescents in primary education and lower secondary education. A clear relationship emerged: students that reported a better level of care for their pet dogs tended to engage in more environmentally responsible behaviours. Preservation and utilization attitudes had no significant influence on caring for a dog. Female students tended to report better care for dogs and practiced environmental behaviour more often. Younger students scored higher on the preservation values and practiced environmental behaviour more often. Overall, this study provides an evidence-based framework for educational initiatives that aim to include long-term care for animals. This study proposes a method with which educational programs could achieve the goal of fostering environmental behaviours.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Students’ Care for Dogs, Environmental Attitudes, and Behaviour

2020

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“…Aside from these increasing scores in very young children, a reverse pattern appears: scores for nature connection fall as young people move from early and middle childhood into adolescence. This pattern is evident in samples that, together, cover ages 7–21, coming from the United Kingdom (Hughes, Rogerson, Barton, & Bragg, 2019; Richardson et al., 2019), Germany (Liefländer, Fröhlich, Bogner, & Schultz, 2013), Canada (Crawford, Holder, & O'Connor, 2017; Krettenauer, 2017; Krettenauer, Wang, Jia, & Yao, 2019; Michaelson et al, 2020), the United States (Larson et al, 2017) and China (Krettenauer et al., 2019). In two large samples that included adults, Richardson et al.…”

Section: Measuring Nature Connection In Childhoodmentioning

confidence: 97%

Childhood nature connection and constructive hope: A review of research on connecting with nature and coping with environmental loss

2020

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Within a generation, children's lives have largely moved indoors, with the loss of free‐ranging exploration of the nearby natural world, even as research indicates that direct experiences of nature in childhood contribute to care for nature across the life span. In response, many conservation organizations advocate connecting children with nature, and there has been rising interest in measuring young people's connectedness with nature, understanding how it relates to their well‐being and stewardship behaviour and creating programs to increase connection. This article reviews the literature on these topics, covering both quantitative and qualitative studies. It notes that this research emphasizes positive experiences and emotions, even as global environmental changes and biodiversity loss accelerate. Young people's emotions of worry, frustration and sadness as they learn about environmental degradation also express their understanding that they are connected to the biosphere. Therefore this review includes research on how young people cope with information about large‐scale environmental problems, and it identifies practices to sustain hope. The review concludes by suggesting how research on connection with nature and coping with environmental change can benefit from integration. A free Plain Language Summary can be found within the Supporting Information of this article.

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“…For example, Marshall et al [ 10 ] found that pro-environmental behaviors and climate change beliefs were related to a set of altruistic orientations such as understanding, empathy, and concerns for others. Krettenauer et al [ 11 ] found that participants from Canada and China strongly believed that nature has intrinsic value and that humans have moral obligations to protect the natural environment. In addition, Jia et al [ 12 ] found that environmental activists reported more intrinsic motivations such as self-transcendence, while environmental non-activists reported extrinsic motivations such as self-enhancement.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Meaning in Life Mediates the Association between Environmental Engagement and Loneliness

Jia

Soucie

Matsuba

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Although the positive outcomes of human–environment interactions have been established, research examining the motivation between engagement in pro-environmental activities and psychological well-being is limited. In this mixed-methods study, the relationship between pro-environmental engagement, meaning in life, and well-being, including loneliness and depression, were investigated in a sample of 112 young adults in Canada. It was found that engaging in pro-environmental activities was negatively associated with loneliness. This association was mediated by meaning in life (e.g., an intrinsic motive of caring for future generations). In addition, qualitative analyses explored how engaging in pro-environmental activities has a meaningful impact on meaning in life, and on well-being. A thematic analysis generated three unique themes: (1) responsibility to teach the next generation about the environment, (2) deep appreciation for and connection to nature, and (3) renewed agency through self-directed learning. Overall, findings suggest that meaning in life is a core motive that underlies the association between environmental engagement and loneliness. The present study enriched the relationship between pro-environmentalism and well-being with a mixed-methods perspective.

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Connectedness with nature and the decline of pro-environmental behavior in adolescence: A comparison of Canada and China

Cited by 71 publications

References 40 publications

Students’ Care for Dogs, Environmental Attitudes, and Behaviour

Students’ Care for Dogs, Environmental Attitudes, and Behaviour

Childhood nature connection and constructive hope: A review of research on connecting with nature and coping with environmental loss

Meaning in Life Mediates the Association between Environmental Engagement and Loneliness

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