Knowledge Level and Perceptions of Brazilian University Students about Bioeconomy

Abstract

Through the creation of clean and innovative technologies, Bioeconomics is a means of achieving sustainability. For this to happen, it needs to be incorporated into concrete social actions, gaining knowledge and social acceptance. In this sense, the main purpose of this study was to analyze the understanding and level of knowledge of Brazilian university students about Bioeconomy, understanding their expectations and the factors that explain their attitudes towards it. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis with the help of IBM SPSS Statistics software version 28. The survey recorded 220 responses, identifying that 53.2% of the respondents were familiar with the term Bioeconomy and 47.2% had a level of knowledge classified as good or very good. In addition, a correlation was identified between the knowledge area and the place of residence of the students and their level of knowledge, with different motivations for supporting Bioeconomy, with economic motivations prevailing over socio-environmental ones. Also, it was found that the level of knowledge and support for Bioeconomy are directly correlated, so the greater the knowledge, the greater the support for it. More, even those students who don’t recognize the term Bioeconomy associate it with sustainability and the green economy. This study shows that there is a need to introduce topics related to Bioeconomy in universities and in Brazilians’ daily lives.