Future consciousness is typically considered an essential feature of good policy-making and a prerequisite for foresight processes, radical innovations and game-changing shifts in policy. The styles of future thinking have, however, rarely been studied among elite members. This paper presents a small n case study of 18 Finnish elite members. It compares their acceptance of radical policy choices and utilises a new five-dimensional model of futures consciousness to identify potential sources for differences in opinions. The results provide insight on the preferences and motivations related to the participants’ interests in supporting new policies and radical policy shifts. The aspects of futures consciousness help in shedding light on the ways the participants approached the issues and what kinds of arguments were used in favour or against new policies: How participants with higher systemic perception were concerned about the suitability of new policy measures to the current system whereas participants with high openness to alternatives were keen to imagine potential new solutions and look for paradigm shifts. This analysis increases our understanding of psychological processes behind decision-making and policy choices. It also gives insight on the question of how new policies should be developed and promoted to gain wide support among different kinds of elite members.

未来意识通常被认为是良好政策制定的基本特征，是远见程序，重大创新和政策改变的先决条件。然而，精英成员很少研究未来的思维方式。本文介绍了一个由18名芬兰精英成员组成的小案例研究。它比较了他们对激进政策选择的接受程度，并利用一种新的五维期货意识模型来识别意见分歧的潜在根源。研究结果提供了与参与者在支持新政策和重大政策转变方面的利益相关的偏好和动机的见解。期货意识的各个方面有助于阐明参与者处理问题的方式以及采用哪种论点来支持或反对新政策：具有较高系统感知力的参与者如何关注新政策措施对当前系统的适用性而对替代方案高度开放的参与者则热衷于想象潜在的新解决方案，并寻求范式转变。这种分析增加了我们对决策和政策选择背后的心理过程的理解。它还对应如何制定和推广新政策以在各种精英成员中获得广泛支持的问题提供了见解。具有较高系统感知力的参与者如何关注新政策措施对当前系统的适用性，而对替代方案高度开放的参与者则热衷于想象潜在的新解决方案并寻求范式转变。这种分析增加了我们对决策和政策选择背后的心理过程的理解。它还对应如何制定和推广新政策以在各种精英成员中获得广泛支持的问题提供了见解。具有较高系统感知力的参与者如何关注新政策措施对当前系统的适用性，而对替代方案高度开放的参与者则热衷于想象潜在的新解决方案并寻求范式转变。这种分析增加了我们对决策和政策选择背后的心理过程的理解。它还对应如何制定和推广新政策以在各种精英成员中获得广泛支持的问题提供了见解。