Article Gold Open Access 2024

Exploring sustainable development perceptions among higher education students: An empirical study on knowledge, attitudes, and behaviours

Cleaner and Responsible Consumption
Journal · Vol. 14 · Art. 100223
Abstract

Higher education institutions have a role to play in developing sustainability skills and changing students' attitudes and behaviour towards sustainability issues and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This article aims to explore the knowledge, attitudes and behaviours of higher education students towards sustainability and understand how these vary in line with gender, age, level of education, the field of study and familiarity with the SDGs. A questionnaire survey was carried out among higher education students. A sample of 716 students from different European countries and Türkiye was obtained. The results show that the relationship between students' knowledge of sustainability and their behaviour towards sustainability issues is partly mediated by their attitudes towards sustainability. The practical implications of this study are that it highlights the need to strengthen education on sustainable development and the SDGs in all areas and at all levels of higher education and to provide sound training in this field from the moment students enter higher education. Although knowledge and attitudes towards sustainability are well developed, higher education institutions must train students to change their behaviour. © 2024

Keywords

Author Keywords

Higher education Sustainability students attitudes knowledge Sustainable development goals (SDGs) behaviour

Index Keywords

Author Affiliations
Polytechnic Institute of Santarém and Life Quality Research Centre (CIEQV), Santarem, Portugal
Politécnico de Santarém, Santarem, Santarem, Portugal
University of Central Lancashire, Cyprus, Larnaca, Larnaca, Cyprus
Gazi Üniversitesi, Ankara, Ankara, Turkey
Learnmera Oy, FI, Finland
Univerza v Mariboru, Maribor, Slovenia
Funding & Acknowledgements
European Commission, EC
Grant: 2022-1-PT01-KA220-HED-000087984
This work was supported by the European Union Erasmus+ programme (grant number 2022-1-PT01-KA220-HED-000087984); and the Life Quality Research Centre by Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e Tecnologia (grant number UID/CED/04748/2020).
European Commission, EC
This work was supported by the European Union Erasmus+ programme (grant number 2022-1-PT01-KA220-HED-000087984); and the Life Quality Research Centre by Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e Tecnologia (grant number UID/CED/04748/2020).
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT
Grant: UID/CED/04748/2020
This work was supported by the European Union Erasmus+ programme (grant number 2022-1-PT01-KA220-HED-000087984); and the Life Quality Research Centre by Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e Tecnologia (grant number UID/CED/04748/2020).
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT
This work was supported by the European Union Erasmus+ programme (grant number 2022-1-PT01-KA220-HED-000087984); and the Life Quality Research Centre by Funda\u00E7\u00E3o para a Ci\u00EAncia e Tecnologia (grant number UID/CED/04748/2020).
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