Are Climate Change Concerns Related to Fertility Intentions, and for Whom? Evidence from Five European Countries.

Irene Frageri , University of Bologna
Francesca Zanasi, University of Bologna
FRANCESCA LUPPI, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
Raya Muttarak, University of Bologna
Alessandro Rosina, Catholic University Milan

As more people become aware of the adverse consequences of climate change, they may start questioning the wisdom of bringing children into a word marked by these challenges, and the future that a newborn might inherit. In recent years, attention on this childbearing dilemma has risen extensively in the public opinion. At the same time, the scientific community has started questioning whether and to what extent increasing environmental concerns constitute a driver for fertility decline in industrialized countries. Evidence from the still limited number of existing studies yields inconsistent results. This study exploits original data on young adults’ (aged 18-34) fertility intentions in relation to climate change concerns. The survey was conducted in five European countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom) by Osservatorio Giovani of Istituto Toniolo (N=5,948). We investigate patterns of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics associated with two reasons for not intending to have children in the next 3 years: procreation’s environmental impact and child’s future well-being. These are investigated against other reasons more often identified by literature (e.g., concerns for the economy, work-family reconciliation), together with their variations by respondents' geographic characteristics and climate exposure. Preliminary results from multinomial logistic regression show positive association between environmental-related concerns about childbearing and reported experience of climatic hazards exposure. Moreover, precarious conditions (e.g., young age, being a student) are associated with higher procreation concerns related to climate change. Accordingly, we further assess whether these concerns belong to a broader sense of uncertainty towards the future for young adults.

See extended abstract

 Presented in Session P53. Flash session Climate Change, Individual Attitudes and Behavior