The surprising parent worries: less for the environment after birth!

A study by the University of Oldenburg shows that the birth of a child has little influence on the environmental and climate worries of parents.
A study by the University of Oldenburg shows that the birth of a child has little influence on the environmental and climate worries of parents. (Symbolbild/NAG)

The surprising parent worries: less for the environment after birth!

A current study that Prof. Dr. Gundula Zoch from the University of Oldenburg and Prof. Dr. Nicole Kapelle was carried out by Trinity College Dublin, illuminates the influence of the birth of a child on the environmental and climate worries of his parents. uol.de analyzed surcharge data of the socio-economic panel (SOEP) from 1984 to 2020 show that the birth of a child is only in influence Has the environmental and climate awareness of the parents.

The study finds that fathers and mothers show different developments in their concerns after birth. While fathers tend to express less environmental worries, they increase slightly with mothers. These differences in perception could be due to gender -specific roles, whereby fathers deal more with economic and political issues, while mothers focus more on direct environmental problems.

influence of the educational background

Another interesting aspect of research is the role of education. Education seems to play a subordinate role in this context. The differences between academically educated and non-academically formed parents are low. Nevertheless, academically educated parents with primary school children show a stronger increase in their concerns about environmental and climate protection compared to the time before birth.

The study is based on a large amount of data, namely 108,340 interviews on environmental protection and 39.028 to climate protection, which was evaluated over a period of two years ago to ten years after birth. This comprehensive analysis opens up new perspectives on parental concerns in today's society.

children as an influence factor

In an expanded context, another study shows that children can play an important role in the awareness of climate issues not only at home, but also in society. DetailsOrtOldenburg, DeutschlandQuellen