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Public views of the Sustainable Development Goals across countries

Author

Listed:
  • Paul G. Bain

    (University of Bath)

  • Pieter M. Kroonenberg

    (Leiden University
    The Three-Mode Company)

  • Lars-Olof Johansson

    (University of Gothenburg)

  • Taciano L. Milfont

    (Victoria University of Wellington)

  • Charlie R. Crimston

    (University of Queensland)

  • Tim Kurz

    (University of Bath)

  • Ekaterina Bushina

    (NRU Higher School of Economics)

  • Carolina Calligaro

    (Escuela Sistémica Argentina)

  • Christophe Demarque

    (Aix Marseille Univ, LPS)

  • Yanjun Guan

    (Durham University Business School)

  • Joonha Park

    (NUCB Business School)

Abstract

The United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) offer an extensive framework for coordinating and shaping government policies, and for engaging the public with sustainability. Public understanding of the SDGs and sustainability can influence this engagement, as people are more likely to accept and share information consistent with their own understanding. We identify public understandings of SDGs through mental maps of how people relate the SDGs to environmental, social and economic sustainability. Using responses from 12 developed/developing countries (n = 2,134), we identified four mental maps that varied mainly on two dimensions, which diverged from some expert models. Some people’s mental maps identified tension between achieving environmental versus social sustainability, whereas for others the tension was between economic sustainability and the other two sustainability elements. Some people related different SDGs to each element of sustainability, whereas others saw all SDGs as targeting the same sustainability element(s). These findings highlight opportunities and challenges to engage the public with sustainability more effectively, especially with wide-ranging initiatives such as a Green New Deal. We observed cultural differences but we also identified a dominant mental map across countries that could serve as a default model for communicating sustainability internationally.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul G. Bain & Pieter M. Kroonenberg & Lars-Olof Johansson & Taciano L. Milfont & Charlie R. Crimston & Tim Kurz & Ekaterina Bushina & Carolina Calligaro & Christophe Demarque & Yanjun Guan & Joonha P, 2019. "Public views of the Sustainable Development Goals across countries," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 2(9), pages 819-825, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natsus:v:2:y:2019:i:9:d:10.1038_s41893-019-0365-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41893-019-0365-4
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Xiaolin Yang & Zengwei Feng & Yiyan Chen, 2023. "Evaluation and obstacle analysis of high-quality development in Yellow River Basin and Yangtze River Economic Belt, China," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Hyun-Duck Kim, 2021. "Analyzing Sustainability Reports of Global, Public Corporations by Industrial Sectors and National Origins," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-14, May.
    3. Matthias Winfried Kleespies & Paul Wilhelm Dierkes, 2022. "The importance of the Sustainable Development Goals to students of environmental and sustainability studies—a global survey in 41 countries," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-9, December.
    4. Min Zhou & Hanxiaoxue Sun & Nan Ke, 2022. "The Spatial and Temporal Evolution of Coordination Degree Concerning China’s Cultivated Land Green Utilization Efficiency and High-Quality Agricultural Development," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-21, December.
    5. Asif Saeed & Umara Noreen & Akbar Azam & Muhammad Sohail Tahir, 2021. "Does CSR Governance Improve Social Sustainability and Reduce the Carbon Footprint: International Evidence from the Energy Sector," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-16, March.
    6. Lavinia Chiara Tagliabue & Fulvio Re Cecconi & Sebastiano Maltese & Stefano Rinaldi & Angelo Luigi Camillo Ciribini & Alessandra Flammini, 2021. "Leveraging Digital Twin for Sustainability Assessment of an Educational Building," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-16, January.
    7. Kjersti Fløttum & Dorothy Jane Dankel & Jon Kåre Skiple, 2022. "The Sustainable Development Goals—Sensible Initiative or Just Nonsense? An Investigation of Norwegian Citizens’ Knowledge and Attitudes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(7), pages 1-16, April.
    8. Krzysztof Kluza & Magdalena Zioło & Iwona Bąk & Anna Spoz, 2021. "Achieving Environmental Policy Objectives through the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. The Case for European Union Countries," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-22, April.

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