Life at a leisurely pace? : environmental impacts of leisure and work time reduction in Norway

Abstract

Consumption is the single largest contributor to global environmental degradation. Because work drives consumption, scholars have proposed work time reduction (WTR) as a policy to reduce environmental pressure, while increasing life satisfaction and reduce unemployment. However, environmental impacts from a potential increase in consumption in leisure time muddles the exact environmental benefits of WTR. Using Norway as a case study, this thesis aims to identify expected environmental impacts of leisure time expansion. The thesis uses a mixed methods design consisting of preliminary interviews and a quantitative survey to collect data on time use and work vs. leisure preferences from a stratified sample of Norwegian workers. The data includes background information, leisure preferences for different scenarios, and satisfaction with economic situation and time use. The main finding of this thesis is that an expansion of leisure in Norway would likely lead to increased time spent on medium and low-impact leisure activities. While accurately quantifying environmental impacts of time use is complex, this suggests that the environmental impacts from expansion of leisure would not outweigh the environmental benefits of WTR.