Greening our future and environmental values: an investigation of perception, attitudes and awareness of environmental issues in Zambia

Abstract

The visibility of environmental problems and the increasing awareness of associated consequences have made environmental issues salient in Zambia. The purpose of this study was to investigate correlations between the social and psychological influences affecting college students in Zambia, and the behaviours perceived by them to be appropriately environmentally friendly. The underlying social and psychological factors that would determine indi visuals' attitudinal responses toward appropriate environmental behaviour were assessed. The study attempted to measure behavioural tendencies towards environmental conservation. Behaviour involving energy and water conservation (EW) was consistently rated as the most important, and ap propriate category of environmental behaviour, whereas social and political action (SP) was viewed as the least favourable behaviour according to the respondents in Zambia. The respondents who were older in the graduate level of the study and had frequently contact with environmental education activities and courses were more likely to hold positive behavioural tenden cies toward environmental conservation in general. KEYWORDS Environment, degradation, awareness, self-efficacy, behaviour, barrier