A Study on the Difference between Parental ESG Awareness and Perceived Importance, as well as Children's Environmental Conservation Attitudes and Ecological Literacy, Based on Parent-Child ESG Activity Experiences

Objectives The purpose of this study is to verify the difference between parental ESG awareness and perceived importance based on parent-child ESG activity experiences, as well as children's environmental conservation attitudes and ecological literacy. Methods The study focuses on189 parents who have preschool-aged children in the metropolitan area, including Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and Incheon. I analyzed the tendency (mean, standard deviation) and normality (skewness, kurtosis) of the research variables using SPSS23.0, andreliabilitywas presentedusing Cronbach's α. The difference based on the presence of parent-child ESG activity experiences was analyzed using a t-test. Results The main findings are as follows: First, all factors among the research variables, except for natural dominance, a sub-factor of ecological literacy, scored 3 or higher, and normality was found to be satisfied. Second, depending on the presence of parent-child ESG activity experiences, statistically significant differences were observed in ESG awareness and ESG importance, including sub-domains such as environmental Importance, social Importance, and governance Importance, with the group that had such experiences showing higher scores than the group without experiences. Third, depending on the presence of parent-child ESG activity experiences, statistically significant differences were observed in environmental conservation attitudes and sub-domains (saving attitude, recycling attitude, environmental pollution prevention attitude), with the group having such experiences showing higher scores than the group without experiences. Fourth, depending on the presence of parent-child ESG activity experiences, statistically significant differences were observed in ecological literacy and its sub-domains (rights of nature, willingness to support, resource protection, ecological sensitivity, socioecological awareness, eco-development, natural dominance, ecological crisis indifference), with the group having such experiences showing higher scores than the group without experiences. Conclusions The study's findings validate the importance of experience-centered activities related to ESG in fostering eco-friendly behaviors in children. Through this, we aim to propose measures to promote environmental awareness and sustainable behavior within families.