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.
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of data and material
The survey instrument is included as supplementary material. The data is available upon request to the corresponding author.
Code availability
STATA code for data analysis is available upon request to the corresponding author.
References
Ajzen I (1991) The theory of planned behavior. Organ Behav Hum Decis Process 50:179–211
Amaral LP, Martins N, Gouveia JB (2015) Quest for a sustainable university: a review. Int J Sustain High Educ 16(2):155–172. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-02-2013-0017
Bettencourt LMA, Kaur J (2011) Evolution and structure of sustainability science. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 108(49):19540–19545. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1102712108
Brundtland GH, Khalid M, Agneli S et al (1987) Our common future. Oxford University Press, New York
Burn SM, Winter PL, Hori B et al (2012) Gender, ethnic identity, and environmental concern in Asian Americans and European Americans. Soc Hum Ecol 19(2):136–145
Clark WC (2007) Sustainability science: a room of its own. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 104(6):1737–1738. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0611291104
Cooper EA, Farid H (2016) Does the Sun revolve around the Earth? A comparison between the general public and online survey respondents in basic scientific knowledge. Public Underst Sci 25(2):146–153
Cortese AD (2003) The critical role of higher education in creating a sustainable future. Plan Higher Educ 15–22
de Leeuw A, Valois P, Ajzen I et al (2015) Using the theory of planned behavior to identify key beliefs underlying pro-environmental behavior in high-school students: Implications for educational interventions. J Environ Psychol 42:128–138. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2015.03.005
Diamantopoulos A, Schlegelmilch BB, Sinkovics RR et al (2003) Can socio-demographics still play a role in profiling green consumers? A review of the evidence and an empirical investigation. J Bus Res 56(6):465–480. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0148-2963(01)00241-7
Ely AV (2018) Experiential learning in ‘innovation for sustainability’: an evaluation of teaching and learning activities (TLAs) in an international masters course. Int J Sustain High Educ 19(7):1204–1219
Fernández-Manzanal R, Rodríguez-Barreiro L, Carrasquer J (2007) Evaluation of environmental attitudes: analysis and results of a scale applied to university students. Sci Educ 91(6):988–1009. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.20218
Field A (2013) Discovering statistics using IBM SPSS statistics. SAGE Publications, Sussex
Filho WL, Emblen-Perry K, Molthan-Hill P et al (2019) Implementing innovation on environmental sustainability at universities around theworld. Sustainability (Switzerland) 11(14):1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11143807
Gifford R, Nilsson A (2014) Personal and social factors that influence pro-environmental concern and behaviour: a review. Int J Psychol 49(3):141–157. https://doi.org/10.1002/ijop.12034
Gosselin D, Parnell R, Smith-Sebasto NJ et al (2013) Integration of sustainability in higher education: three case studies of curricular implementation. J Environ Stud Sci 3(3):316–330. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-013-0130-3
Heeren AJ, Singh AS, Zwickle A et al (2016) Is sustainability knowledge half the battle?: an examination of sustainability knowledge, attitudes, norms, and efficacy to understand sustainable behaviours. Int J Sustain High Educ 17(5):613–632. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-02-2015-0014
Herman BC (2015) The influence of global warming science views and sociocultural factors on willingness to mitigate global warming. Sci Educ 99(1):1–38. https://doi.org/10.1002/sce.21136
James M, Card K (2012) Factors contributing to institutions achieving environmental sustainability. Int J Sustain High Educ 13(2):166–176. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371211211845
Kollmuss A, Agyeman J (2002) Mind the gap: why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? Environ Educ Res 8(3):239–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220145401
Lange F, Dewitte S (2019) Measuring pro-environmental behavior: review and recommendations. J Environ Psychol 63(October 2018):92–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.04.009
Lertpratchya AP, Besley JC, Zwickle A et al (2017) Assessing the role of college as a sustainability communication channel. Int J Sustain High Educ 18(7):1060–1075. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSHE-09-2016-0172
Levine DS, Strube MJ (2012) Environmental attitudes, knowledge, intentions and behaviors among college students. J Soc Psychol 152(3):308–326. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224545.2011.604363
Levy BLM, Marans RW (2012) Towards a campus culture of environmental sustainability: recommendations for a large university. Int J Sustain High Educ 13(4):365–377. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676371211262317
Macias T (2016) Environmental risk perception among race and ethnic groups in the United States. Ethnicities 16(1):111–129. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468796815575382
Markowitz EM, Goldberg LR, Ashton MC et al (2012) Profiling the ‘pro-environmental individual’: a personality perspective. J Pers 80(1):81–111. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6494.2011.00721.x
Meinhold JL, Malkus AJ (2005) Adolescent environmental behaviors: can knowledge, attitudes and self-efficacy make a difference? Environ Behav 37(4):511–532. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916504269665
Meyer A (2016) Heterogeneity in the preferences and pro-environmental behavior of college students: the effects of years on campus, demographics, and external factors. J Clean Prod 112(4):3451–3463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2015.10.133
Miao L, Wei W (2013) Consumers’ pro-environmental behavior and the underlying motivations: a comparison between household and hotel settings. Int J Hosp Manag 32:102–112. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.IJHM.2012.04.008
Milfont TL, Bain PG, Kashima Y et al (2018) On the relation between social dominance orientation and environmentalism: a 25-nation study. Soc Psychol Pers Sci 9(7):802–814. https://doi.org/10.1177/1948550617722832
Müller-Christ G, Sterling S, Van D-M et al (2013) The role of campus, curriculum, and community in higher education for sustainable development - a conference Report. J Clean Prod. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2013.02.029
Nimon KF (2012) Statistical assumptions of substantive analyses across the general linear model: a mini-review. Front Psychol 3:322. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00322
Rappaport A (2008) Campus greening: behind the headlines. Environment 50(1):6–17. https://doi.org/10.3200/ENVT.50.1.6-17
Schoolman ED, Shriberg M, Schwimmer S et al (2016) Green cities and ivory towers: how do higher education sustainability initiatives shape millennials’ consumption practices? J Environ Stud Sci 6(3):490–502. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-014-0190-z
Schuldt JP, Pearson AR (2016) The role of race and ethnicity in climate change polarization: evidence from a U.S. national survey experiment. Clim Chang 136(3–4):495–505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10584-016-1631-3
Sharp L (2002) Green campuses: the road from little victories to systemic transformation. Int J Sustain High Educ 3(2):128–145. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676370210422357
StataCorp (2017) Stata statistical software: release 15. StataCorp LLC, College Station, TX
Stern PC (2000) New environmental theories: toward a coherent theory of environmentally significant behavior. J Soc Issues 56(3):407–424. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00175
Stern PC, Dietz T, Abel T et al (1999) A value-belief-norm theory of support for social movements: the case of environmentalism. Hum Ecol Rev 6(2):81–97. https://doi.org/10.2307/2083693
Swaim JA, Maloni MJ, Napshin SA et al (2014) Influences on student intention and behavior toward environmental sustainability. J Bus Ethics 124(3):465–484. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-013-1883-z
Taber KS (2018) The use of Cronbach’s alpha when developing and reporting research instruments in science education. Res Sci Educ 48(6):1273–1296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11165-016-9602-2
Taylor DE (2014) The state of diversity in environmental organizations. Green 2.0(March):1–5. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.32834.68804
Valdes-Vasquez R, Klotz L, Shealy T et al (2014) Just like all the rest? College students who exhibit pro-sustainability attitudes and behaviors. J Coll Admiss 225:16–26
Ward M, Bowen B, Burian S et al (2016) Institutionalizing interdisciplinary sustainability curriculum at a large, research-intensive university: challenges and opportunities. J Environ Stud Sci 6:425–431. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-015-0315-z
Whitley CT, Takahashi B, Zwickle A et al (2018) Sustainability behaviors among college students: an application of the VBN theory. Environ Educ Res 24(2):245–262. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504622.2016.1250151
Wright TSA (2002) Definitions and frameworks for environmental sustainability in higher education. Int J Sustain High Educ 3(3):203–220. https://doi.org/10.1108/14676370210434679
Zwickle A, Jones K (2018) Sustainability knowledge and attitudes—assessing latent constructs. In: Leal Filho W, Marans R, Callawaert J (eds) Handbook of sustainability and social science research. Springer, pp 435–451. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-67122-2_25
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the Environmental Science and Policy program at Michigan State University, Dr. Joseph Hamm, and the class of Environmental Applications and Analysis in spring 2018.
Funding
This work was supported by the Environmental Science and Policy program at Michigan State University.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary Information
Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kirby, C.K., Zwickle, A. Sustainability behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge: comparing university students and the general public. J Environ Stud Sci 11, 639–647 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-021-00717-x
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13412-021-00717-x