To ensure sustainability, overcoming intergenerational conflict is vital, and social systems supporting decision-making that takes into account the benefits to future generations is thus critically important. One promising approach in such social systems is introducing “imaginary future generations” who act as representatives for the benefits of future generation in actual, present-day decision-making situations. In this study, we explore the effects and implications of participants’ experiences as representatives of imaginary future generation. We conducted a citizens’ participatory debate on creating a vision and appropriate policies associated with public facilities and housing in a town in Japan, and examined how the thinking patterns and decisions of the participants shifted as a result of debating from the perspectives of both current and imaginary future generations. Based on analyses of a questionnaire and the keywords in answers to a worksheet provided to the participants, we demonstrate that through their experiences as representatives of imaginary future generations, a clear shift in perspective occurred, with increases in self-reflective viewpoint. We also found that the shared viewpoints of the current and future generations existed within the individuals. These findings hint at how we can develop institutions and social systems that facilitate sustainable decision-making.

为了确保可持续性，克服代际冲突至关重要，因此，支持决策的社会系统必须考虑到子孙后代的利益，因此至关重要。在这样的社会系统中，一种有前途的方法是引入“假想的子孙后代”，他们在实际的当今决策情况下代表子孙后代的利益。在本研究中，我们探索参与者作为假想的下一代代表的经历的影响和含义。我们进行了一次公民参与式辩论，讨论如何在日本的城镇中建立与公共设施和住房相关的愿景和适当政策，并从当代和假想后代的角度研究了辩论引起的参与者的思维方式和决定如何变化。根据对调查表的分析以及提供给参与者的工作表答案中的关键字，我们证明了通过他们作为假想的下一代的代表的经历，观点发生了明显的转变，自我反省的观点有所增加。我们还发现，个体之间存在着今世后代的共同观点。这些发现暗示了我们如何开发有助于可持续决策的机构和社会系统。我们证明，通过他们作为假想后代的代表的经历，观念发生了明显的转变，自我反省的观点也有所增加。我们还发现，个体之间存在着今世后代的共同观点。这些发现暗示了我们如何开发有助于可持续决策的机构和社会系统。我们证明，通过他们作为假想后代的代表的经历，观念发生了明显的转变，自我反省的观点也有所增加。我们还发现，个体之间存在着今世后代的共同观点。这些发现暗示了我们如何开发有助于可持续决策的机构和社会系统。