From eating plants to smaller families, strong reactions to low-carbon behaviors

Background/Question/Methods: Much of the most common advice for individuals looking to reduce their carbon footprint does not include the most impactful individual actions and instead focuses on more palatable options that have a smaller positive impact on reducing carbon emissions. These more impactful actions include having one fewer child, living car-free, eating a plant-based diet, and avoiding airplane travel. The general public’s reactions to these actions is understudied. In particular, reactions to limiting family size by having one fewer child has, to our knowledge, never been investigated. This study sought to understand the perceptions, emotional responses, and planned behaviors people have in reaction to information about the carbon emissions savings of these more impactful actions. 382 Americans accessed by SurveyMonkey Audience took an online survey. Respondents read a summary of a peer-reviewed article outlining the carbon savings from having one fewer child, living car-free, eating a plant-based diet, and avoiding airplane travel. Respondents provided their impressions of each action, including their emotional responses, likelihood of doing each action, and desire to do each action. Respondents provided their demographic information and their political orientation and concern for climate change.

Results/Conclusions: Respondents’ positive emotional response toward having one fewer child was lower than their positive response toward eating plant-based and avoiding plane travel, but did not differ from their positive response to living car-free. Respondents’ negative emotional response toward having one fewer child was greater than their negative emotional responses toward living car-free, eating a plant-based diet, and avoiding airplane travel. Their reactions to having one fewer child depended on their future childbearing intentions, with those reporting that they planned no future children reacting more positively than those who were open to having future children. Respondents with higher levels of climate concern reported greater likelihood of having one fewer child, eating plant-based, and avoiding airplane travel than those with lower levels of climate concern. Those with more children reported less desire to have one fewer child and greater desire to eat a plant-based diet. Intent and desire to live car-free was not related to demographic characteristics. In sum, respondents reacted most negatively to the suggestion of having one fewer child compared to other actions, which suggests that environmentalists looking to broach this topic should hone their messaging for a potentially unreceptive audience. Additionally, findings suggest that concern for the climate is a strong predictor of willingness to engage in more difficult carbon-saving actions.