Young children’s consumer agency: The case of French children and recycling
Résumé
This research offers insights into children’s agency in the context of recycling behaviors by exploring how
children’s agency might be enacted in various settings (e.g., family, school, neighborhood). Using a series of
child-centered methods, the authors observe children’s recycling behaviors at school and at home and investigate
their behaviors using role-playing games and a verbalization phase that captures the children’s understanding
of recycling and their varying degrees of agency around recycling. The findings suggest that personal
(knowledge, concern), environmental (family microenvironment, encouragement, spatial organization,
physical accessibility to recycling bins), and behavioral (past experiences) factors can facilitate or constrain
children’s consumer agency. In particular, their level of agency varies according to each child’s specific microenvironment
within the family, the location where the recycling takes place (private versus public spaces),
and communication patterns within the family. From these findings, we provide several recommendations for
public policymakers and business managers.