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Does “Science” Matter to Sustainability in Higher Education? The Role of Millennial College Students’ Attitudes Toward Science in Sustainable Consumption

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Handbook of Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development in Higher Education

Part of the book series: World Sustainability Series ((WSUSE))

Abstract

Higher education has committed to fostering the development of students as educated consumers as well as ethical professionals capable of valuing sustainability in their decision-making. Making decisions based upon the understanding of the complexities of sustainability requires a certain level of scientific knowledge and appreciation that can be introduced and developed by educators. However there has been no empirical study that supports significant relationships between attitudes toward science and sustainable consumption to date. This study developed a model depicting the effects of attitudes toward science on beliefs about sustainability and attitudes and behavioral intentions toward sustainable consumption. The model was tested via structural equation modeling with online survey data collected from 1,480 millennial college students in the Southern US. The results suggest that perceived importance of public understanding of science directly affects beliefs about sustainability including ethical obligation, consumer effectiveness, consumer responsibility, and perceived knowledge, which in turn indirectly affects attitudes and behavioral intentions toward sustainable consumption. An interest in science as a career, however, does not demonstrate such effects. This study is vital to higher education, policy makers, and industry practitioners who are working on turning consumption towards sustainability and expanding their ability to provide the scientific foundation that students can use to make sustainable decisions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Family and Consumer Sciences, Texas State University, 601 University Drive, San Marcos, TX, 78666, USA

    Jiyun Kang, Gwendolyn Hustvedt & Stefanie Ramirez

Authors
  1. Jiyun Kang
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  2. Gwendolyn Hustvedt
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  3. Stefanie Ramirez
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Correspondence to Jiyun Kang .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. FTZ-ALS, HAW Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany

    Walter Leal Filho

  2. Faculty of Engineering and Architecture, University of Passo Fundo , Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Luciana Brandli

  3. Department of Life Sciences, Centre for Functional Ecology, University of Coimbra , Coimbra, Portugal

    Paula Castro

  4. Office of Sustainability, Massachusetts Institute of Technology , Cambridge, USA

    Julie Newman

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Kang, J., Hustvedt, G., Ramirez, S. (2017). Does “Science” Matter to Sustainability in Higher Education? The Role of Millennial College Students’ Attitudes Toward Science in Sustainable Consumption. In: Leal Filho, W., Brandli, L., Castro, P., Newman, J. (eds) Handbook of Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development in Higher Education . World Sustainability Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47868-5_26

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