National Differences in Age and Future-Oriented Indicators Relate to Environmental Performance

Stylianos Syropoulos (), Kyle Fiore Law and Liane Young
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Stylianos Syropoulos: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Boston, MA 02467, USA
Kyle Fiore Law: Department of Psychology, University at Albany, State University of New York, Albany, NY 12222, USA
Liane Young: Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Boston College, Boston, MA 02467, USA

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Environmental concerns inherently involve an intergenerational aspect, where today’s decisions can have far-reaching effects on future generations. Numerous national characteristics can forecast a nation’s commitment to investing in environmental sustainability. This study expands on previous research and offers evidence in support of Gott’s principle, which states that citizens may use their country’s age to forecast its remaining lifespan. Specifically, we show that a nation’s age positively relates to intergenerational solidarity—a country’s willingness to sacrifice for future generations. Furthermore, country age and other future-oriented variables, such as a country’s Long-Term Orientation and ability to overcome temporal discounting, are linked to sustainability-related indicators, indicating that countries concerned about the future also exhibit greater concern for the environment. These findings reinforce the value of framing a country as a long-standing entity and implementing intergenerational framing interventions to motivate pro-environmental engagement.

Keywords: cross-country differences; Long-Term Orientation; temporal discounting; intergenerational solidarity; climate change; Gott’s principle (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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