Futures studies

What is futures consciousness?

Futures consciousness is the human capacity to understand, anticipate, prepare for and embrace the future. 

According to our definition, futures consciousness is the human capacity to understand, anticipate, prepare for and embrace the future. It is an interindividual difference which is linked to variations in cognition, motivation and values, and which can be developed over time. Our model of futures consciousness consists of five dimensions:

1) time perspective,

2) agency beliefs,

3) openness to alternatives,

4) systems perceptions and

5) concern for others.

The 20-item futures consciousness scale is an operationalization of the construct for measuring interindividual differences in futures consciousness. Measuring these individual differences and abilities through a psychometric scale provides a baseline for further developing forward-looking skills and abilities. 

Each of the five dimensions contributes in a different way to an individual’s futures consciousness. Time perspective and agency beliefs constitute the cognitive base for an individual’s futures consciousness, because understanding of time is required for the concept of future, and a sense of personal agency is required for the motivation to consider future possibilities. Systems perception and concern for others, in turn, broaden the conception of future from a narrow personal future to include positioning oneself within relationships, social groups and natural systems. Openness to alternatives bridges these personal and relational aspects of futures consciousness by bringing the understanding that there are options and alternative future possibilities beyond current trends. 

According to our empirical data, futures consciousness is positively related to several future-oriented behaviors such as pro-environmental and altruistic behavior and engaged citizenship.