Act like There Is a Tomorrow—Contact and Affinity with Younger People and Legacy Motivation as Predictors of Climate Protection among Older People

Abstract

The climate crisis poses a major threat for sustainability, with the young and future generations likely to be among the most affected groups in the climate crisis. Older generations will be less affected but have a greater impact both in terms of contribution and mitigation. We investigated potential intergenerational drivers of older Germans’ climate protection intentions and behavior in two pre-registered studies (N1 = 411, 55- to 75-year olds; N2 = 309, 55- to 86-year olds). On a correlational level, both studies revealed that contact between generations (particularly high-quality contact) indirectly explained the participants’ climate protection intentions/behavior. This effect was mediated by affinity with younger people (Study 1) and its subfacets of perspective taking and empathic concern (but not the subfacet of perceived oneness; Study 2). Study 1 further provided evidence that legacy motivation, i.e., the desire to leave behind a positive legacy, was positively related to participants’ climate protection intentions and behavior. Study 2’s attempt at testing the causal role of the subfacets of affinity was not successful, as the experimental manipulation of perspective taking toward younger people failed. However, the two studies provide correlational evidence that the closer older people feel to younger people and the future consequences of their behaviors, the more willing they are to protect the climate.