Bridging the intergenerational gap

Boosting recycling behavior and policy support through eliciting concerns for future others

Bibliographic Data

ID13109369
AuthorsXin Liu (0000-0001-5207-1685, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Chen Jun-fang (0000-0003-0945-962X, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Rui Tao (0000-0001-6333-513X, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences), Shu Li (0000-0003-4402-1674, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences), Rui Zheng (0009-0007-3672-4552, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, corresponding author)
Year2024
Pages1-22
Publication date2024-12-10
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBehavioural Public Policy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2398-063X • E-ISSN: 2398-0648
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/bpp.2024.45
OpenAlexW4405212768
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited68

Pro-environmental behavior, including waste sorting and recycling, involves a combination of future-oriented (futureness) and other-oriented (otherness) attributes. Inspired by the perspective of intergenerational choice, this work explores whether eliciting concerns for future others could increase public support for recycling policy and recycling behavior. Study 1 consisted of an online random controlled trial and a laboratory experiment. In Study 1A ( N = 400), future other-concern was primed using a static text manipulation, whereas in Study 1B ( N = 192), a dynamic virtual manipulation was employed. The results showed that people in the conditions that elicited future other-concern reported greater household recycling intentions and more actual recycling behavior than those in the control conditions. Study 2A ( N = 467) and Study 2B ( N = 600) generalized this effect on the acceptance of the ‘Certain Time Certain Place’ waste sorting policy in China. Consistent with the intergenerational choice model, envisioning the future of subsequent generations is more impactful in gaining policy approval than merely envisioning a future time. These findings provide a new method for promoting public policy approval and recycling behavior, suggesting that people could become environmentally friendly when they are guided to consider future others

Bridging (networking · Computer security · Economic growth · Economics · Environmental economics · Perspective (graphical · Public economics · Public policy · Sorting · Waste recycling · Work (physics · Behavioral Health and Interventions · Computer Science · Engineering · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Environmental Sustainability in Business

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Open DOIOpen Access