Psychological Time Perspective and Climate Change Interest of Young Polish Adults

This study aimed to analyse psychological time in relation to climate change interest. The study involved a sample of 257 young Polish people ( M = 25.11; SD = 6.22) who completed a series of psychological temporal scales. Preliminary empirical analyses have identified three main time perspectives: a time perspective focused on one's own future (individual time perspective), a time perspective focused on life after one's own death (transcendental time perspective), and a time perspective focused on the life of future generations (generational time perspective). The findings of this study indicate that the interest in climate change is only predicted by the generational time perspective. The results also suggest that the other time perspectives – the individual time perspective and the transcendental time perspective – can only promote curiosity regarding climate change if the generational time perspective is well-developed. The insights gleaned from this analysis could be incorporated into educational programs that address the origins, implications, and adaptive responses to climate change.