Abstract
The economic dimension is one of the central perspectives in both sustainable development and education for sustainable development. The role of the economy in sustainable development has been discussed extensively over the years and different views exist about how economic activities affect other sustainability dimensions. How young people view the relationships among economic perspectives and sustainable development seems to be an underemphasized perspective in sustainability education and underexplored in the field of sustainability education research. This study uses cluster analysis, which is an explorative approach, to identify and analyze young peoples’ views of the relationships between economic growth, economic development and sustainable development. Six hundred and thirty eight students (age 18–19) from 15 schools across Sweden responded to a questionnaire probing (1) views on these relationships, and (2) their environmental consciousness. Four clusters of students differing in their views on the economy in sustainable development were identified in the analysis: un-differentiating positive, nuanced ambivalent, two-way convinced, and critical. Further analysis indicated that some groups differed in their perception of the environmental dimension of sustainable development. Implications of these findings are discussed from the perspective of education for sustainable development.
Highlights
The role of the economy in sustainable development (SD) is debated in relation to its influence and impact on the environment and the development of society
Different views and interpretations exist on these relationships, partly depending on the actual meaning that individuals attribute to the concepts of economic growth, economic development, and SD, and due to different ways of viewing relationships between human and environmental conditions
Q1: I think that economic growth is necessary for sustainable development Q2: I think that economic growth is a threat to sustainable development Q3: Economic development is necessary for sustainable development
Summary
The role of the economy in sustainable development (SD) is debated in relation to its influence and impact on the environment and the development of society. The idea of economic growth and economic development and their relationships to SD has been (and still is) a subject of debate (see e.g., [1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9]). Different views and interpretations exist on these relationships, partly depending on the actual meaning that individuals attribute to the concepts of economic growth, economic development, and SD, and due to different ways of viewing relationships between human and environmental conditions (see e.g., [10]). Economic growth is regarded as necessary to increase human well-being or for lifting people out of poverty [12]. Some argue that current economic growth patterns have not been sufficient for alleviating poverty for the poorest people [5]
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