An assessment of environmental awareness in an industrial city: A study of environmental awareness among school students in Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the environmental awareness among students in middle and high schools in an industrial city (Yanbu, Saudi Arabia).

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was distributed to 279 students in three schools of the city. Both perception of different environment issues and attitude towards the environment were assessed. Different sources of information about the environment were searched. Comparison of the degree of environmental awareness according to age and gender was investigated.

Findings

Results indicated girls to be more knowledgeable than boys. The results also showed that TV and internet are the most important sources of information about the environment.

Practical implications

This study can be important in identifying the level of environmental awareness among students in an industrial city and the different factors that affect this awareness.

Originality/value

To the author's knowledge, research studies investigating the environmental awareness of school students in the industrial areas in the Middle East are very few.

Citation

Altaher, H. (2013), "An assessment of environmental awareness in an industrial city: A study of environmental awareness among school students in Saudi Arabia", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 24 No. 4, pp. 442-451. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-09-2012-0059