Impact of Ecological Education on University Students’ Environmentally Sustainable Behavior—Evidence from China

Wei Hou, Qianwen Yang, Yipei Cao (), Lei Luo (), Jingyi Ding, Qilin Wang, Jun Wei and Hai Ma
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Wei Hou: College of Marxism, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Qianwen Yang: Zhejiang Institute of Administration, Hangzhou 310000, China
Yipei Cao: Chongzhou Administrative College, Chongzhou 611235, China
Lei Luo: College of Water Resources and Hydropower, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Jingyi Ding: College of Water Resources and Hydropower, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Qilin Wang: College of Water Resources and Hydropower, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Jun Wei: College of Water Resources and Hydropower, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China
Hai Ma: College of Water Resources and Hydropower, Sichuan Agricultural University, Chengdu 611130, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-27

Abstract: With the development of higher education, college students have become a new and important group for environmentally sustainable development. How to evaluate and strengthen the practical effect of ecological education is of great significance. Based on the survey data of 1579 university students, this study constructed a systematic index system of ecological education by using a hierarchical evaluation method. Moreover, OLS (Ordinary Least Squares), Oprobit, and intermediary effect models were used to analyze the influence relationship and mechanism of the two empirically and IV-Oprobit was used to solve the endogeneity problem. The results show the following: (1) Ecological education can effectively promote the sustainable behavior of university students, and the probability of university students implementing sustainable behavior increases by 10.7% with each unit increase in the level of ecological education. (2) Environmental value perception such as in individual economic value perception, social value perception, and health value perception are all important mediating channels of ecological education, among which health value perception has the strongest mediating effect. (3) Particulate Matter 2.5 (PM2.5) exposure positively moderates the impact of university students’ environmental value perception on their sustainable behavior. (4) There is a significant correlation between university students’ household registration, participation in environmental associations and hometown social networks, and sustainable behaviors. (5) The influence of ecological education on students’ behaviors shows heterogeneity in family household registration. Students from rural families have a higher level of environmental behavior and value perception than those from urban families. Moreover, they are more likely to exhibit behaviors under the influence of ecological education. The above results provide reference suggestions for the ecological education policy system and offer theoretical support and policy inspiration for promoting sustainable behaviors among global college students and enhancing the efficiency of ecological education in universities.

Keywords: ecological education; value perception; environmentally sustainable behavior; PM2.5 exposure; heterogeneity analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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