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Sustainability behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge: comparing university students and the general public

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  • Caitlin K. Kirby

    (Michigan State University)

  • Adam Zwickle

    (Michigan State University)

Abstract

Sustainability science integrates many academic fields, requiring a broad understanding of diverse scientific concepts. Additionally, its focus on real-world issues means that researchers must also understand sustainability behaviors and attitudes. Research in this area, however, has primarily been conducted on university students with no demonstration of the generalizability of these findings. We compare the results from sustainability measures of behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge administered to a sample of university students (n = 1710) and the general public (n = 418). Independent t-tests revealed that university students reported significantly more sustainability behaviors, stronger attitudes, and greater knowledge than the general public sample. Demographic variables explained less variance in our outcome variables among the general public, suggesting that the factors that contribute to greater sustainability behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge differ between students and non-students. We suggest that sustainability scientists use caution when generalizing results obtained from university student samples.

Suggested Citation

  • Caitlin K. Kirby & Adam Zwickle, 2021. "Sustainability behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge: comparing university students and the general public," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(4), pages 639-647, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:jenvss:v:11:y:2021:i:4:d:10.1007_s13412-021-00717-x
    DOI: 10.1007/s13412-021-00717-x
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    Cited by:

    1. Miguel Leiva-Brondo & Natalia Lajara-Camilleri & Anna Vidal-Meló & Alejandro Atarés & Cristina Lull, 2022. "Spanish University Students’ Awareness and Perception of Sustainable Development Goals and Sustainability Literacy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-26, April.

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