Constraint Push or Motivational Pull? Number of Children and Willingness to Bear Environmental Costs in the United States and South Korea

Objective Parenthood can deepen concern for children's future but also tighten household resources. This study examines how these competing pressures shape the association between the number of children and willingness to bear environmental costs in the United States and South Korea. Methods Using 2021 US and Korean GSS data from the shared ISSP Environment module, we estimate country‐specific logistic regressions and pooled models of willingness to pay higher prices and taxes for environmental protection. Results In the main binary models, willingness declines with each additional child in the United States but increases in South Korea. The Korea–US difference is statistically significant for both outcomes and remains so under age restrictions, controls for the number of co‐residents, ordered‐logit coding, and survey weights. In categorical models, the gap widens across parity categories and is largest at three or more children. The difference is more stable than either country‐specific estimate, and education, perceived environmental impact, and age group do not systematically moderate it. Conclusion The association between the number of children and environmental cost‐bearing differs across institutional settings. The findings are consistent with childrearing costs operating more as immediate constraints in one context and more as future‐oriented investments in the other.