Measuring sustainable development knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors: evidence from university students in Mexico

Abstract

Current trends such as imminent overpopulation and the take-make-waste economic model are largely responsible for the planet’s dire situation. One of the main limitations identified in research on education for sustainable development is the lack of consensus regarding the measurement of sustainable development in both developed and developing countries. In this regard, several Latin American and Caribbean countries have shown their commitment to sustainable development through policies, strategies, or plans related to both education for sustainable development and environmental education. Taking this into account, the present study aimed to develop standardized measures for the levels of sustainable development knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among university students in northwestern Mexico. Thus, the importance of this study lies in validating previous instruments and determining the degree to which knowledge and positive attitudes explain sustainable development behaviors. Based on the theory of planned behavior, the empirical evidence showed that in northwestern Mexico, university students presented a moderate degree of knowledge and attitudes regarding sustainability but that they scored at the low-moderate level on behavior. The results are consistent with previous studies, with knowledge (β = .296) and attitudes (β = .183) explaining behaviors favorable to sustainable development (R2 = .18, p < .001). It is recommended that universities promote sustainable development by incorporating education on sustainable development into curricular requirements and extracurricular activities and that institutions of higher education become responsible for training future professionals in this area and evaluating the impact of public initiatives in generating sustainable behaviors among students.