Futures Consciousness Scale | Teach the Future

Futures Consciousness Scale
for Youth

Understand. Anticipate. Prepare. Embrace.

Futures consciousness is the human capacity to understand, anticipate, prepare for, and embrace the future. In learning environments, futures thinking is not about predicting outcomes—it is about becoming aware of how we think about what comes next.

When integrating futures-oriented learning into the classroom, it is important to surface and examine how students approach the future, rather than assuming growth or change. Thoughtful measurement helps educators understand starting points, patterns, and instructional focus.

About Teach the Future

Teach the Future is a global nonprofit organization dedicated to preparing students for tomorrow by teaching them about the future, today.

We support schools and educators through futures literacy curriculum, tools, and professional learning, and by helping students imagine possibilities, reflect on consequences, and engage thoughtfully with uncertainty.

Background to the Future Consciousness Scale

Source: https://futuresconsciousness.utu.fi/research-team/

The Futures Consciousness framework describes a set of interrelated psychological dispositions and abilities that influence how individuals and groups relate to the future.

It includes five dimensions, which work together as an integrated system:

Time Perspective
Awareness of past, present, and future connections, including long-term consequences.
Agency Beliefs
Beliefs about one’s ability to influence future outcomes.
Systems Perception
Understanding how human and natural systems are interconnected and how actions ripple across them.
Concern for Others
Moral and ethical considerations for people across distances and time, including future generations.
Openness to Alternatives
Willingness to question assumptions and imagine multiple possible futures.

These dimensions provide a shared language for discussing futures-oriented thinking in educational contexts.

What the FCS-Y Survey Is (and Is Not)

Survey Use and Purpose

The Futures Consciousness Scale for Youth (FCS-Y) is not a diagnostic tool.

Futures consciousness refers to a set of skills and competencies that can be learned, practiced, and strengthened over time. The FCS-Y survey provides a descriptive snapshot of how a group currently approaches futures-oriented thinking.

Survey results are intended to:

Support instructional planning
Inform discussion and reflection
Establish a shared starting point for learning

They are not designed to test, rank, or evaluate individual students, nor to guarantee change or improvement.

Start Free

No Cost

Pre-Survey
Survey one class or group (up to 40 students) to establish a group-level snapshot.
Initial Report
Receive a summary describing how the group currently approaches futures-oriented thinking across the five dimensions.

Who Can Access the Free Survey

Teachers and educators
Youth organizations
Youth workshop facilitators
Nonprofit youth-serving organizations
Other organizations may access the FCS-Y survey for $100 USD.

FutureWISE Thought Experiments

A Reflective Futures Consciousness Skills Building Journey

$149.99 USD | Development Package (up to 40 students)

FutureWISE Futures Consciousness Thought Experiments is an independently developed instructional product that complements the FCS-Y survey by helping students explore and articulate how they think about the future.

Rather than measuring outcomes, the journal provides guided reflection experiences through structured thought experiments.

Each thought experiment:

Places students inside a scenario
Invites imagination without speculation
Encourages reflection without evaluation
Helps students notice patterns in their thinking

There are no right answers. The goal is not to think “correctly,” but to observe how thinking happens.

What’s Included

FutureWISE Futures Consciousness Thought Experiments Journal (student-facing)
Curriculum Guide with Lesson Plans (educator-facing)
Post-Survey Key Code

What You’ll Receive

A group-level comparison report across five dimensions of futures-oriented thinking, based on individually completed surveys
Insight into patterns of engagement with futures-oriented thinking, not just participation

Pricing subject to World Bank country income classifications.

Please Note

A three percent (3%) processing fee applies to credit card payments
Equity-based pricing is available for educators in qualifying countries. Contact us for details.

Disclaimer

FutureWISE Futures Consciousness Thought Experiments is an independently developed instructional product that includes futures consciousness–informed learning and assessment.

Get Started

Fill in the form below, and we will send you an access code and web details. Please allow 24-72 hours for a response.

Futures Consciousness Scale for Youth

Understand. Anticipate. Prepare. Embrace.

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Futures Consciousness Scale
for Youth