The relationship between environmental literacy, ecological footprint awareness, and environmental behavior in adults
Mehmet Salih Yıldırım, Ayşe Elkoca, Gönül Gökçay, Dursun Alper YILMAZ, Metin Yıldız
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Environmental literacy and ecological footprint awareness encouraging them to consume less energy, reduce waste and use natural resources more sustainably. AIM: In this study, the aim was to determine and compare the relationship between environmental literacy, ecological footprint awareness, and environmental behaviors of adults. METHODS: The research was conducted in a descriptive and cross-sectional type. The universe of the research was individuals aged 18 and over in a province located in the west of Turkey (n: 398) between April 2022 and January 2023. Data were analyzed using SPSS 22.0, G*Power 3.1, and R programming language 4.1.3 programs. RESULTS: This study revealed that environmental literacy and ecological footprint awareness significantly affected environmental behaviors (p < 0.05). In the study, the ecological footprint awareness variable has a partial mediating effect on the environmental behaviors variable (LLCI = 0.1226, ULCI = 0.2559). CONCLUSIONS: Increased environmental literacy and ecological footprint awareness positively affect environmental behaviors. Future studies should explore these relationships in diverse populations. Longitudinal studies on attitudes towards environmental behaviors are recommended.