Intergenerational learning of eco-friendly behaviour in family life from the perspective of Finnish youth

Abstract

Young, world-famous climate activist Greta Thunberg has had a profound influence on her family’s adoption of eco-friendly practices. In this chapter, the interest lies in the question of how intergenerational learning of eco-friendliness may manifest in the family life of Finnish minor youth. The study is grounded on qualitative data, mainly interviews gathered at three nature-based school camps (2020-2021) attended by seventy-one 14-15-year-olds and analysed using Margaret Mead’s tripartite typology of everyday knowledge transfer between generations. Results show that eco-friendliness is intertwined without explicit discussion in the everyday routines of a post-figurative culture (from parents to youth). A pre-figurative culture (from youth to parents) occurs in rare cases when a young individual’s value-related environmental knowledge substantially differs from their parents. Most young people are reluctant to communicate their environmental concerns to their parents due to their respect for their parents and wish for harmony.