Paradigm shift: changes in willingness to take pro-environmental behavior in the midst of the COVID pandemic among European pre-service teachers

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a societal paradigm shift in the way people work, dine, travel, and live. Though environmental concerns were not the main reason behind this paradigm shift, there are lessons to be learned about how such societal paradigm shifts may also impact individuals’ pro-environmental attitudes. Therefore, this study, conducted in Finland and Spain, examined pre-service teachers’ knowledge and willingness to take actions to mitigate climate change before (N = 480) and after (N = 372) the pandemic. The findings suggest that the stricter lockdowns seen in Spain had an impact on students’ willingness to take climate mitigation actions, namely among Spanish male students, who initially showed low levels of willingness to take action. The findings support previous studies suggesting that males may have more elastic views on pro-environmental actions than females. The study discusses the implications of the findings to environmental education, especially to climate change education.