Who’s to Act? Perceptions of Intergenerational Obligation and Pro-Environmental Behaviours among Youth

Abstract

“We are all in the same boat” are words heard from young climate activists, suggesting that all generations must engage together in the fight against climate change. However, because of their age and life situation, some young people may feel unable to change the situation and attribute the moral obligation to do so to older generations. Whether such attributions restrict young people from engaging in pro-environmental behaviours remains largely unstudied. To fill this gap, the present study incorporated perceptions of self-efficacy, feelings of external control, and intergenerational obligation (i.e., believing that all generations should act) into the Value–Belief–Norm model. Data from high school (n = 639) and bachelor (n = 1509) students in French-speaking Switzerland showed that perceptions of self-efficacy and intergenerational obligation predicted the probability of engaging in both an actual behaviour (Study 1) and a costly educational commitment (Study 2), while perceiving that the fate of the Earth lies in the hands of powerful others did not. These results suggest that educational programs on climate change should integrate intergenerational components.