What is (responsible) consumption? Discussing environment and consumption with children from different socioeconomic backgrounds in The Netherlands

Abstract

This research explores the attitudes of children from different socioeconomic backgrounds toward consumption with the aim of establishing a framework for incorporating the subject of (responsible) consumption into the upper elementary school curriculum.

Car attitudes in children from different socio-economic backgrounds in the Netherlands

“…The previous study pointed out the need for examination of different patterns of attitudes and behavior in children of different socio-economic backgrounds and ethnic groups, as it was hypothesized that the children's transportation attitudes and attitudes in more ethnically heterogeneous schools might produce different data (Kopnina, 2011a). Another case study was therefore conducted at the third school between May 2010 and January 2011.…”

“…There is no evidence yet that the children, despite their expressed concerns about the adverse effects of cars on the environment, will be more environmentally conscious than their parents when they grow up. As indicated by the previous studies of perception of sustainability in children (Kopnina 2011(Kopnina , 2011a, which included an examination of parents' attitudes, while higher socio-economic parents consider themselves to be pro-environment and are aware of the negative environmental impacts of private transportation use, the actual behavioral data (the fact that almost 80% of these parents own a car)…”

Frameworks for Understanding and Promoting Solar Energy Technology Development

“…Yet it is important to remember that "the environmental crisis is thus, above all, a crisis of society" [59]. The very idea of sustainable development, and its potential through renewable energy technology adoption in both "developed" and "developing" national contexts, requires critical attention to the historically unprecedented rates of resource consumption and existing conflicts regarding consumption and economic inequality among consumers both within and across nations [57,[60][61][62].…”

The Routledge Handbook of Magazine Research

“…28 In line with the rebound effect theory, scholars have noted contradictions inherent in the oxymoronic term "green consumption." 29,30,31 Wilk notes that there may even be a "moral rebound effect," where reiterating the message creates guilt, which "drives the continuing bulimic cycle of binge and purge so characteristic of contemporary consumer culture." 32 In the case of e-magazines this might imply that while consumers might think they are being more environmentally responsible by reading e-magazines rather than paper, they may actually be discounting the environmental impact of digital technology.…”