Green parenting: Investigating the impact of personal, social, and environmental factors on ecofriendly childcare

Abstract Ecofriendly childcare not only reduces our current environmental footprint but also cultivates a culture of eco-friendliness that will endure for the next generation. Despite growing scholarly interest in sustainable behaviors, the research on ecofriendly childcare has received little attention, and understanding of its antecedents has remained limited. To address this issue, we analyzed 15,032 survey responses of parents involved in childcare from 27 European countries using ordered logistic regression and partial least squares path modeling. It was found that parents’ health and involvement in household chores positively influence ecofriendly childcare. Interestingly, migrated parents were found to be more ecofriendly than the local ones. Parents’ engagement in prosocial and recreational activities also encourages parents to adopt sustainable practices in caregiving. Further, it was revealed that parents living in regions of high environmental risks are more likely to practice environment-friendly childcare. Among demographic covariates, income exhibited no effect on the sustainable care of children. The findings offer vital and actionable insights to policymakers to promote ecofriendly childcare.