Connection Between Environmental Awareness and Personal Attitudes Towards Education as a Prerequisite for Forming Environmental Educational Strategies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18662/rrem/17.4/1069Keywords:
education, attitudes towards education, environmental awareness, environmental education, environmental actionsAbstract
The article presents a study on the connection between environmental awareness and personal attitudes to education as a prerequisite for the formation of environmental education strategies. The empirical data were obtained during research conducted in 2022-2024. A total of 1734 people participated in our empirical research. Personal environmental awareness correlated positively and significantly with subjective assessments of the importance of education and with the desire to learn something new. The importance of education correlated positively with the importance of environmental issues, the participants’ concern for environmental cleanliness, and painful feelings about the environmental consequences of the war. The desire to learn something new correlated positively with the assessed importance of environmental issues, concern for environmental cleanliness, and with painful feelings about the environmental consequences of the war. Personal awareness about one’s own actions and behaviour had a positive impact on the assessed importance of environmental issues, greater concern for environmental cleanliness, painful feelings about the environmental consequences of the war, and the implementation of practical environmental measures to improve ecology. There was also a willingness to invest resources in ecological improvement in one’s own community. In addition, reflection on actions aimed at ecological improvement correlated positively and significantly with changes in beliefs and values during the war and with awareness in one’s own actions and behaviour. People with higher or incomplete higher education had better environmental awareness than did people with general secondary education. Respondents with low financial status had lower indicators of environmental awareness compared to other groups.
References
Ahmed, Z., Asghar, M., Malik, M., & Nawaz, K. (2020). Moving towards a sustainable environment: The dynamic linkage between natural resources, human capital, urbanization, economic growth, and ecological footprint in China. Resources Policy, 67, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resourpol.2020.101677
Apaolaza, V., Paredes, M. R., Hartmann, P., Barrutia, J. M., & Echebarria, C. (2022). How does mindfulness relate to proenvironmental behavior? The mediating influence of cognitive reappraisal and climate change awareness. Journal of Cleaner Production, 357, Article 131914. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.131914
Ardoin, N. M., Bowers, A. W., & Gaillard, E. (2020). Environmental education outcomes for conservation: A systematic review. Biological Conservation, 241, Article 108224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2019.108224
Bleidorn, W., Lenhausen, M., & Hopwood, C. (2021). Proenvironmental attitudes predict proenvironmental consumer behaviors over time. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 76, Article 101627. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2021.101627
Boca, G. D., & Saraçlı, S. (2019). Environmental education and student’s perception for sustainability. Sustainability, 11(6), 1553. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11061553
Carasso Romano, G. H., Sippori, R., & Soroker, S. (2025). Examining the relationship between ecological anxiety and pro-environmental behavior: Personal and collective actions. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, Article 1505564. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1505564
Coates, Z., Kelly, M., & Brown, S. (2024). The relationship between climate anxiety and pro-environment behaviours. Sustainability, 16(12), 5211. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16125211
Eakin, H., Shelton, R., Siqueiros-Garcia, J., Charli-Joseph, L., Manuel-Navarrete, D. (2019). Loss and social-ecological transformation: pathways of change in Xochimilco, Mexico. Ecology and Society, 24(3), Article 15. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-11030-240315
Edsand, H. E., & Broich, T. (2020). The impact of environmental education on environmental and renewable energy technology awareness: Empirical evidence from Colombia. International Journal of Science and Mathematics Education, 18, 611–634. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10763-019-09988-x
Ertz, M., & Sarigöllü, E. (2019). The behaviour-attitude relationship and satisfaction in proenvironmental behavior. Environment and Behavior, 51(9-10), 1106–1132. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013916518783241
Estrada-Araoz, E. G., Gallegos Ramos, N. A., Paredes Valverde, Y., Quispe Herrera, R., & Mori Bazán, J. (2023). Examining the relationship between environmental education and pro-environmental behavior in regular basic education students: A cross-sectional study. Social Sciences, 12(5), 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci12050307
Innocenti, M., Santarelli, G., Lombardi, G. S., Ciabini, L., Zjalic, D., Di Russo, M., & Cadeddu, C. (2023). How can climate change anxiety induce both pro-environmental behaviours and eco-paralysis? The mediating role of general self-efficacy. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), Article 3085. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20043085
Kollmuss, A., & Agyeman, J. (2002). Mind the gap: Why do people act environmentally and what are the barriers to pro-environmental behavior? Environmental Education Research, 8(3), 239–260. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504620220145401
Mandarić, D., & Hunjet, A. (2023). Does the education level of consumers influence their recycling and environmental protection attitudes? Evidence from Croatia. Naše Gospodarstvo/Our Economy, 69(4), 51–61. https://doi.org/10.2478/ngoe-2023-0023
Meitiyani, M., Astra, I. M., & Safitri, D. (2022). The relationship between personality and environmentally responsible behavior in Green High School. Cypriot Journal of Educational Science, 17(9), 3439–3449. https://doi.org/10.18844/cjes.v17i9.8084
Milfont, T. L., Poortinga, W., & Sibley, C. G. (2020). Does having children increase environmental concern? Testing parenthood effects with longitudinal data from the New Zealand attitudes and values study. PLOS ONE, 15(3). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0230361
Navia, J. M., Zapata, E. J., Falla, G. H., Sánchez, S. S., Guevara, D. C. (2024). Environmental awareness of university students in Colombia. Knowledge and Performance Management, 8(1), 104–114. https://doi.org/10.21511/kpm.08(1).2024.08
Notaro, S., & Grilli, G. (2022). How much fear? Exploring the role of integral emotions on stated preferences for wildlife conservation. Environmental Management, 69(3), 449–465. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-022-01593-z
Novotný, R, Huttmanová, E., Valentiny, T., & Kalistová, A. (2021). Evaluation of environmental awareness of university students: the case of the University of Presov, Slovakia. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 10(2), 59–72. https://doi.org/10.14207/ejsd.2021.v10n2p59
Otto, S., & Pensini, P. (2017). Nature-based environmental education of children: Environmental knowledge and connectedness to nature, together, are related to ecological behaviour. Global Environmental Change, 47, 88–94. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2017.09.009
Piao, X., & Managi, S. (2023). The international role of education in sustainable lifestyles and economic development. Scientific Reports, 13, 8733. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-35173-w
Polas, M. R. H., Tabash, M. I., Bhattacharjee, A., & Dávila, G. A. (2023). Knowledge management practices and green innovation in SMES: The role of environmental awareness towards environmental sustainability. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 31(5), 1601–1622. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-03-2021-2671
Primc, K., Ogorevc, M., Slabe-Erker, R., Bartolj, T., & Murovec, N. (2021). How does Schwartz’s theory of human values affect the proenvironmental behavior model? Baltic Journal of Management, 16(2), 276–297. https://doi.org/10.1108/BJM-08-2020-0276
Qin, Z., Wu, Q., Bi, C., Deng, Y., Hu, Q. (2024). The relationship between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behavior in adolescents: The mediating role of future self-continuity and the moderating role of green self-efficacy. BMC Psychology, 12, Article 241. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01746-1
Shao, L., & Yu, G. (2023). Media coverage of climate change, eco-anxiety and pro-environmental behavior: Experimental evidence and the resilience paradox. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 91, 102130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102130
Shershunovich, Y. (2025). Climate risk perception as a catalyst for pro-environmental behavior. Discover Sustainability, 6, Article 902. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-025-01896-1
Summers, M., Kruger, C., Childs, A., & Mant, J. (2000). Primary school teachers’ understanding of environmental issues: An interview study. Environmental Education Research, 6(4), 293–312. https://doi.org/10.1080/713664700
Şahin, H., & Erkal, S. (2017). An investigation of university students’ attitudes toward environmental sustainability. European Journal of Sustainable Development, 6(4), 147–154. https://doi.org/10.14207/ejsd.2017.v6n4p147
Tafese, M. B., & Kopp, E. (2025). Education for sustainable development: Analyzing research trends in higher education for sustainable development goals through bibliometric analysis. Discover Sustainability, 6, 51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43621-024-00711-7
Van de Wetering, J., Grapsas, S., Poorthuis, A., & Thomaes, S. (2024). Promoting adolescents’ pro-environmental behavior: A motive-alignment approach. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 35(1), 13044. https://doi.org/10.1111/jora.13044
Wolf, J., & Moser, S. C. (2011). Individual understandings, perceptions, and engagement with climate change: Insights from in-depth studies across the world. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews: Climate Change, 2(4), 547–569. https://doi.org/10.1002/wcc.120
Wu, Y., Wan, J., & Yu, W. (2023). Impact of environmental education on environmental quality under the background of low-carbon economy. Frontiers in Public Health, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1128791
Xue, P., Wei, Z., & Yi, H. (2023). An analysis of environmental awareness among Chinese higher education groups due to differences in different majors. E3S Web of Conferences, 393, Article 01028. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202339301028
Xu, L., Prybutok, V., & Blankson, C. (2019). An environmental awareness purchasing intention model. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 119(2), 367–381. https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-12-2017-0591
Yang, B., Wu, N., Tong, Z., & Sun, Y. (2022). Narrative-based environmental education improves environmental awareness and environmental attitudes in children aged 6-8. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6483. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116483
Zheng, L., Umar, M., Safi, A., & Khaddage-Soboh, N. (2024). The role of higher education and institutional quality for carbon neutrality: Evidence from emerging economies. Economic Analysis and Policy, 81, 406–417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eap.2023.12.008
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 The Authors & InManifest Network

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant this journalright of first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work, with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g. post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g. in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as an earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
Revista Romaneasca pentru Educatie Multidimensionala Journal has an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs
CC BY-NC-ND