Measuring environmental attitudes and behaviors: a study of undergraduate students in Delhi

Abstract

This paper uses the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) and Environmentally Responsible Behavior Index (ERBI) to test the environmental attitudes and behaviors of students at the University of Delhi. Most of the students (both urban and rural areas) through self-report perception support the model of NEP and ERBI. Some factors that influence their responsible attitudes and behaviors include high awareness level that acquired through education, economic and other channels (possibly print and social media). Our study found that students residing in rural areas are more likely to show favorable environmental attitudes than students in urban areas. The environmental attitudes construct through the NEP model were found to be strongly correlated with the behavior constructs of the ERBI model. Students taking up life science as a subject are more likely to show better attitudes toward the environment than the students studying physical science.