Briefly what my research is about . . .
The impending climate crisis will impact the entirety of humankind but potentially none more so than Generation Z. For this reason they’re widely acknowledged as the demographic at the forefront of environmental awareness in terms of eco-activism while also reporting feelings of anxiety and powerlessness in the face of its magnitude.
Although education, legislation, and activism are all crucial elements in procuring pro-environmental change, a significant portion of commentators, notably in the fields of conservation psychology and ecopsychology, agree that they will have only limited success unless a radical behavioural remodelling can be achieved. Ecopsychology suggests the existence of an inherited, hard wired connection between humankind and the wider natural environment that for various reasons has been either forgotten or disconnected. It’s therefore reasonable to suggest that settings and methods by which Generation Z could be stimulated to connect with other likeminded individuals and also reconnect with the wider natural world could have significant pro-environmental benefits and should be addressed as a matter of urgency.
This study aims to generate an entirely new line of inquiry into the pro-environmental benefits of green-field music festivals by examining whether they’re uniquely positioned to bring about ecological behaviour change in the Generation Z demographic utilising principles founded in ecopsychology and the human-nature relationship. That is, to precipitate a reconnection between Generation Z and the wider natural environment. It will also question whether additional stimuli (either actual of virtual) could be added to the individual festival experience in order to increase or enhance their pro-environmental impact.
Jo Allen
April 2023
