Students’ Attitude and Perception towards Sustainability: The Case of Universiti Sains Malaysia

Sharifah Nurlaili Farhana Syed Azhar, Noor Adelyna Mohammed Akib, Suzyrman Sibly and Saidatulakmal Mohd
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Sharifah Nurlaili Farhana Syed Azhar: Centre for Global Sustainability Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
Noor Adelyna Mohammed Akib: Centre for Global Sustainability Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
Suzyrman Sibly: Centre for Global Sustainability Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia
Saidatulakmal Mohd: Centre for Global Sustainability Studies, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang 11800, Malaysia

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-17

Abstract: Sustainability awareness is a vital component in ensuring sustainability initiatives as a global effort for the benefit of future generations, particularly in countries with emerging economies, such as Malaysia. In higher education institutions (HEIs), students play an important role in manifesting the sustainability agenda to the campus community, as well as the rest of the globe. However, there is a scarcity of data on Malaysian students’ attitudes and perceptions towards sustainability. The purpose of this research is to establish a baseline for determining the level of positive attitude and perception among USM undergraduate students in regards to sustainability. A survey using a self-administered questionnaire via Google Forms was conducted with 513 undergraduate students between June 2020 and March 2021. The findings revealed that the students’ level of positive attitude and perceptions of sustainability on campus ranged from moderate to high. The study also observed a strong, positive correlation between students’ attitude and perception. The present study illustrated that “Attitudes Towards Sustainability on Campus” helps to explain 45% of the variance in respondents scores on “Perception of the USM Current Sustainability Program”. It could be summarized that USM students were able to relate sustainability issues to current situations and assumed a positive attitude towards the implementation of sustainability programs at USM. It is intended that the research findings will contribute background information that will reflect the strategies of higher education institutions on sustainability.

Keywords: sustainability; sustainability awareness; attitudes; perception; universities; education for sustainable development; undergraduate students; sciences students; non-science students; Sustainable Development Goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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