Browsing by Author "Kurki, Terhi"

Prior research has shown that climate worry is related to fertility preferences, yet the research on the association between climate worry and the actual fertility in Western countries is scarce. The objective of this study was to examine the association between climate worry and the likelihood of becoming a parent utilizing nationally representative longitudinal data from Germany. In addition, the role of neuroticism and the interaction between education and climate worry in the association between climate worry and the likelihood of becoming a parent were analysed separately. The data comprised n=34,523 observation from n=10,463 participants, derived 2009-2019 from a German, nationally representative and broad panel survey (SOEP). Cox-regression was utilized to analyse the likelihood of becoming a parent over time, with the level of climate worry as a predictor. Control variables included gender, partnership status, region of Germany, and education. Neuroticism and the interaction term between education and climate worry were added as independent variables in separate models. The analysis was conducted separately for the overall sample, men, and women. Moreover, the interaction between climate worry and gender was examined. According to the results, the individuals who were very worried about the consequences of climate change were 16% less likely to have their first child compared to those who were not worried about them. Adding the level of neuroticism to the model did not affect the association. However, education appears to moderate the association between climate worry and becoming a parent, with the likelihood of becoming a parent being higher among those worried participants who had above high school education. The results showed some evidence that the association between climate worry and becoming a parent may be stronger among women than men. This study showed that climate worry is related to the actual likelihood of having a child, in addition to fertility preferences. In line with the theory of planned behaviour and the narrative framework, climate worry is shaping future narratives. These narratives form a basis for beliefs related to having a child which affect fertility intentions and, eventually, the actual fertility. Higher education appeared to enable creating and maintaining optimistic future narratives regardless of climate worry. From this perspective, the decision to remain childless due to severe climate worry can be understood as a form of “eco-paralysis” rather than adaptive pro-environmental behaviour.