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1 – 10 of over 102000Michael Jay Polonsky, Romana Garma and Stacy Landreth Grau
The purpose of this paper is to examine Western consumers' levels of general environmental knowledge and specific knowledge related to carbon offsets and the relationships between…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine Western consumers' levels of general environmental knowledge and specific knowledge related to carbon offsets and the relationships between specific types of environmental knowledge and consumers' related behaviors.
Design/methodology/approach
The study surveyed consumers from Australia (n=345) and the USA (n=340) who were sourced through national online panels. The analysis looks at differences between knowledge and behaviors, both across the samples as well as whether there are differences between consumers with high and low levels of environmental and carbon offset knowledge, and whether demographics impact on knowledge levels.
Findings
The results found that consumers had higher levels of general knowledge than carbon offset knowledge and the two types of knowledge were not related. ANOVA results considering country differences and demographic factors found that general knowledge was affected by education, age and gender, with carbon knowledge being affected by education. Environmental behavior was affected by age and gender as well, and no demographic factors influenced carbon‐related behavior. Respondent's location (i.e. USA or Australia) did not influence knowledge or behaviors, but interacted with education in regard to carbon knowledge and behavior.
Social implications
This research suggests that consumers are not acting on their carbon knowledge, which may be due to the debate surrounding carbon issues and/or because the information is based on complex scientific foundations, which the average consumer may have difficulty grasping, regardless of country.
Originality/value
This is one of the first pieces of academic research to explore consumers' understanding of carbon‐related information and how this knowledge impacts behavior. It also proposes a measure for evaluating carbon offset knowledge, which could be used to broaden environmental knowledge assessments.
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The purpose of this paper is to examine people’s knowledge about carbon reduction, environmental consciousness, carbon reduction intentions, and behaviours in Taiwan. The…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine people’s knowledge about carbon reduction, environmental consciousness, carbon reduction intentions, and behaviours in Taiwan. The importance of this study is to reveal whether individuals with higher carbon reduction knowledge level have higher carbon reduction intentions and further take actions.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, eight questions about the causes and facts of carbon emissions were designed to examine respondents’ levels of knowledge. The New Ecological Paradigm Scale was utilised to measure respondents’ attitudes towards the environment and further to examine how those attitudes were linked to knowledge. Ten questions related to carbon reduction intentions in food consumption, transportation, energy saving, recycling and shopping were designed, another set of ten questions related to carbon reduction behaviours were included in the questionnaire. A formal survey using personal interviews was administered in Taipei, Taiwan following the age and gender distributions of the population.
Findings
Findings in this study indicate that people with higher knowledge levels about carbon reduction have a stronger environmental consciousness; however, they tend to have higher intentions in carbon reduction but not in actions. Findings in this study reveal that knowledge levels about carbon reduction cannot be used as indicators of carbon reduction behaviours.
Practical implications
The findings in this study provide information for the veracity of the general public with relatively high education levels and are aware of the severity of the carbon emission issue in Taiwan but not motivated to take actions in carbon reduction. Implications of this study are that although enhancing the general public’s environmental consciousness by building up their relevant knowledge of carbon reduction through education can be essential, encourage individuals to make environmentally friendly purchasing decisions, reduce energy consumption and waste, recycle, and be conservative with materials not easily decomposed naturally is fundamental.
Originality/value
Due to the fact that people living on islands and in densely populated coastal areas are those affected by climate changes severely, findings in this study provide valuable information for the education of the general public in Taiwan and other countries in the region.
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Godfred Matthew Yaw Owusu, Teddy Ossei Kwakye, Edem Emerald Welbeck and Charles Gyamfi Ofori
This study examines the multidimensionality of the environmental literacy concept among university business students in Ghana. The study also investigates the relationship between…
Abstract
Purpose
This study examines the multidimensionality of the environmental literacy concept among university business students in Ghana. The study also investigates the relationship between students’ interests in environmental issues and knowledge levels of environment and assesses how these two constructs influence students overall environmental behaviour and actions.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a total of 591 business students from the University of Ghana Business School, the study uses exploratory factor analysis to examine the multidimensionality of environmental literacy concept. A structural equation modelling-based approach was used to examine the relationship among the study constructs.
Findings
Based on the factor analysis results, the study documents that environmental literacy concept can be grouped under four distinct factors (general environmental factors; industry-related factors; environmental assessment factors; and accounting-related factors). The regression results indicate a direct and positive relationship between students’ interest in environmental issues and their environmental literacy level. Also, students’ interest and their knowledge levels of environmental issues were found to be good predictors of actual students’ involvement in activities that promote sustainable environment.
Research limitations/implications
The conclusions of the study are based on only data from one public university, which limits the generalizability of the findings.
Originality/value
The study is unique as it is the first empirical study to investigate environmental literacy levels in higher education in the Ghanaian setting.
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Gaopeng Zhang, Linfan Wang and Hu Meng
Based on the knowledge-attitude-behavior model, this study is aimed at investigating the influential mechanism underlying the purchase of green clothing by dividing this clothing…
Abstract
Purpose
Based on the knowledge-attitude-behavior model, this study is aimed at investigating the influential mechanism underlying the purchase of green clothing by dividing this clothing category into green home-in wear and home-out wear within the context of green consumption. The mediating effects of perceived greenwashing (PG), perceived value (PV) and expected moral benefit (EMB) and the moderating effect of green clothing type (GCT) were examined.
Design/methodology/approach
The data for this study were collected from 366 valid samples through a between-subject design survey administered in China. Moderation analysis and mediation analysis using SPSS/PROCESS macro were applied to test the proposed hypotheses.
Findings
The results indicate that consumers' level of environmental knowledge (EKL) not only has a direct effect on purchase intention (PI) but also has an indirect effect through perceived value and expected moral benefit. However, perceived greenwashing did not play a mediating role in this relationship.
Originality/value
The study's findings show a moderating effect of green clothing type (green home-in wear vs green home-out wear). That is, compared to green home-out wear, the relationship between expected moral benefit and perceived greenwashing for green home-in wear had a weaker negative effect on purchase intentions.
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Ali Khalfan Al-Naqbi and Qasim Alshannag
This study aims to investigate United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) students’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors toward education for sustainable development (ESD) and the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to investigate United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) students’ knowledge, attitudes and behaviors toward education for sustainable development (ESD) and the environment. Several independent variables (i.e. students’ gender, nationality, college, academic level and grade point average [GPA]) were also considered.
Design/methodology/approach
This study was descriptive in nature, and the data were obtained using a cross-sectional survey. A total of 823 participants responded to an e-education for sustainable development survey. Several data analysis procedures were used, including descriptive analyses, analyses of variance and t-tests.
Findings
The study revealed that the UAEU students showed a high level of understanding, very strong positive attitudes and moderate positive behavior toward ESD and the environment. Findings associated with students’ gender, nationality, college, academic level and GPA were also reported and discussed.
Research limitations/implications
First, the participating students came from one public university. Although this university is a major university in the nation, further studies should include samples from other public and private institutions. Second, this study did not examine the correlation among the three main components: knowledge, attitude and behavior. Thus, similar to other previous studies, the correlations among these three components should be investigated. Third, this study used previous research findings in the areas of ESD, SD and environmental education (EE) because they all relate to each other and ESD is currently the active trend in the field.
Originality value
No previous ESD studies have been conducted in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), although the country is working hard to support ESD and SD. Therefore, this study explored the current education levels with regard to SD and sustainability knowledge, attitudes and behavior of tertiary students in the UAE. In addition, previous studies have clearly recommended investigating the status of EE and ESD in younger generations, especially those with higher education levels, because they are the agents of change, and they will be affected by the environmental problems that are being created by present human activities.
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Nazan Okur, Canan Saricam, Aleyna Rumeysa Iri and Irem Sari
The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of Covid-19 on sustainable fashion consumption behavior by proposing a conceptual framework combining consumer-specific factors…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to assess the impact of Covid-19 on sustainable fashion consumption behavior by proposing a conceptual framework combining consumer-specific factors and product-specific factors with a special emphasis on consumer value perceptions.
Design/methodology/approach
Theory of consumption value was integrated into the knowledge, attitude behavior model in the conceptual framework having consumer-specific and product-specific aspects. Perceived value (PERVAL) scale was used to measure value perceptions. The model was verified by a survey conducted among a random sample of 520 participants. The factors were extracted by using exploratory factor analysis and then confirmed by using confirmatory factor analysis. The hypotheses in the conceptual model were tested for different consumer groups, and the strength of the relationships was calculated by using multigroup analysis in structural equation modeling.
Findings
It was observed the environmental concern raised the need for getting knowledge about the environment. The impact of environmental knowledge on the value perception of sustainable fashion products varied for the consumers affected by Covid-19 at different levels. Quality perception and price perception were influenced most by environmental knowledge in that order for the consumers with “high fear and uncertainty” and “low fear and uncertainty”. Similarly, the perceived emotional and social values were influential on purchase intention for consumers with high fear and uncertainty, whereas price and social value perceptions were influential for the consumers with low fear and uncertainty.
Originality/value
This study is the initial study that investigated the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the consumption of sustainable fashion products. The integration of theory of consumption value into the knowledge, attitude behavior model allowed identifying the relationship between environmental issues and sustainable fashion consumption. Using the PERVAL scale for measuring perceived value, the study provided valuable insights for understanding the most important value dimensions for sustainable fashion products for consumer groups affected by Covid-19 at different levels. The results regarding the changes in the rankings related to the impact of environmental knowledge on dimensions of perceived value and the impact of perceived values on purchase intention enabled the integrated model to explain the attitude–behavior gap.
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Olaya Alvarez-García, Jaume Sureda-Negre and Rubén Comas-Forgas
In this paper, the results of an investigation aimed at analysing and comparing the environmental competences of future teachers undergoing training in two universities are…
Abstract
Purpose
In this paper, the results of an investigation aimed at analysing and comparing the environmental competences of future teachers undergoing training in two universities are presented. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the difference in the acquisition of environmental competences amongst two groups of students enrolled in two universities with different levels of introduction of the environmental education (EE) and sustainability contents in their curriculums. This objective is inserted into a wider finality: to provide recommendations regarding the redesign of pre-service teacher training curricula and learning programmes.
Design/methodology/approach
A specifically designed questionnaire was used in this study to analyse the environmental competencies of students in the final year of their degree in primary education in two Spanish universities. One of them had a highly environmentally oriented programme, and the other had a scarcely environmentally oriented programme.
Findings
Results show that no significant differences were observed in the results related to the greening level of the training programmes. Pre-service teachers have insufficient environmental knowledge, but with quite positive, responsible attitudes towards environmental issues, and pro-environmental actions that could be categorised as moderate. Results point to the need for further and better pre-service teacher training in environmental issues.
Originality/value
One of the main factors in the appropriate treatment of EE in schools is teacher training. Despite this principle being widely recognised, not all pre-service teacher training programmes adequately address EE. The added value of this paper is the comparison established between the students that followed a degree with a high impact of the environmental competences in its curriculum and another one that has very few references to these competences in the curriculum.
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Corina Joseph, Esmie Obrin Nichol, Tamoi Janggu and Nero Madi
The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of environmental literacy among business lecturers in Malaysia.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of environmental literacy among business lecturers in Malaysia.
Design/methodology/approach
A survey, which involved a combination of newly developed items and items adopted from past studies, was used to collect data from 35 respondents (out of 70).
Findings
The overall mean score for environmental literacy is 3.22 (out of 5), indicating that the respondents' level of literacy is slightly more than just fair knowledge. The most widely understood environmental literacy term is corporate social responsibility (CSR). The respondents were apparently aware of the recent mandatory disclosure requirement, i.e. to include the environmental information in companies' annual reports and the initiative moving towards “Green Malaysia”.
Practical implications
Universities in Malaysia could learn from environmental initiatives undertaken by universities in developed countries in terms of implementation, organizational policies and strategies. It is important for business lecturers to influence students to favourably perceive environmental issues as one of the core business activities, using a participative approach in teaching and learning.
Originality/value
This paper adds to the limited literature of CSR education research, particularly in Malaysia, by filling the gap with the development of 13 items to determine the level of awareness toward environmental initiatives in Malaysia.
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Ayşen Coşkun and Raife Meltem Yetkin Özbük
The purpose of this study is to segment young millennials in an emerging economy based on their environmental attitudes and purchase intentions. The study also attempts to…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to segment young millennials in an emerging economy based on their environmental attitudes and purchase intentions. The study also attempts to describe the segments and highlight their differences in terms of happiness, frugality, environmental locus of control, and environmental knowledge.
Design/methodology/approach
The study sample consisted of 227 Turkish undergraduate students. A two-step cluster analysis was performed on environmental attitudes and purchase intentions scores. The differences among the clusters were then examined according to happiness, frugality, environmental locus of control, and environmental knowledge variables.
Findings
A two-step cluster analysis identified three clusters, namely, “non-greens”, “reluctant greens” and “true greens”, all of whom differed in terms of environmental attitudes and purchase intentions. Non-greens (n = 16) and true greens (n = 121) yielded the lowest and the highest scores for environmental attitudes and purchase intentions, respectively. Three clusters also differed significantly in terms of frugality. Environmental knowledge levels of non-greens differed from those of reluctant greens and true greens. There is no significant difference regarding happiness and environmental locus of control among clusters.
Practical implications
Local and international companies interested in marketing green products to young millennials in emerging economies may enhance their understanding of non-green and green young millennials in the target markets and differentiate their marketing strategies for each segment.
Originality/value
Given the need for a better understanding of young millennials’ environmental behavior in an emerging economy, the current study contributes to the literature by segmenting young Turkish millennials based on their environmental attitudes and purchase intentions, further describing the consumer segments with different variables such as happiness, frugality, environmental locus of control and environmental knowledge.
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The purpose of this paper is to explore the environmental behaviors of well-educated people in Thailand. Determinants of individuals’ involvement in pro-environmental behaviors…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the environmental behaviors of well-educated people in Thailand. Determinants of individuals’ involvement in pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) are evaluated.
Design/methodology/approach
An exploratory model was created to investigate the relationship between PEBs and potential predictors that were selected based on the purposes of environmental risk communication and environmental education improvements. Those factors included dispositional, attitudinal, motivational, environmental knowledge, and psychosocial characteristics. Questionnaire surveys with well-educated people (n=810), that is those holding an educational qualification that ranged from a senior high school degree to a doctoral degree, were conducted. Multiple regression analysis was performed to justify the proposed relationship.
Findings
The result revealed that PEBs of well-educated people could be greatly predicted by an individual’s sense of obligation, perceived probability of receiving impacts from environmental problems, outcome expectancy from environmental behaviors, and environmental knowledge related to environmental phenomena and appropriate environmental actions; whereas, an individual’s environmental worldview and life satisfaction were less significant. Moreover, most of psychosocial variables were not significant predictors.
Originality/value
Factors determining well-educated people’s engagement in PEBs were evaluated. The results of the investigation provided the implications for environmental risk communication and environmental education improvements.
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