IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i8p4552-d791397.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Spanish University Students’ Awareness and Perception of Sustainable Development Goals and Sustainability Literacy

Author

Listed:
  • Miguel Leiva-Brondo

    (Department of Biotechnology, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Natalia Lajara-Camilleri

    (Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Anna Vidal-Meló

    (Department of Applied Mathematics, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Alejandro Atarés

    (Department of Biotechnology, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

  • Cristina Lull

    (Department of Chemistry, Universitat Politècnica de València, 46022 Valencia, Spain)

Abstract

The implementation of Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the United Nations in 2015 focuses on making a more sustainable world in all countries and for all stakeholders. Higher education institutions (HEI) play a key role in increasing students’ sustainability knowledge, transforming their attitudes and motivating them to promote or engage in sustainability behaviors. HEI can take several measures to fulfill these objectives, but it is important to develop efficient tools to assess the starting point at which university students are at. In this study, a survey was conducted that addressed students from different Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) degrees to investigate their knowledge and awareness of sustainability and SDGs. This survey ( n = 321) showed students’ levels of knowledge and initial awareness. Many UPV students state that they are aware of the SDGs, but most do not fully understand these 17 goals and their current implementation but think that the SDGs are important for their daily lives. Therefore, finding links between the SDGs and daily interests is necessary to advance toward further implementation to allow us to fulfill all SDGs. These results offer a good starting point for evaluating future training and awareness actions to improve sustainability-related educational strategies.

Suggested Citation

  • Miguel Leiva-Brondo & Natalia Lajara-Camilleri & Anna Vidal-Meló & Alejandro Atarés & Cristina Lull, 2022. "Spanish University Students’ Awareness and Perception of Sustainable Development Goals and Sustainability Literacy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-26, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4552-:d:791397
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/8/4552/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/8/4552/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Elisa Chaleta & Margarida Saraiva & Fátima Leal & Isabel Fialho & António Borralho, 2021. "Higher Education and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)—Potential Contribution of the Undergraduate Courses of the School of Social Sciences of the University of Évora," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-10, February.
    2. Marija Maruna, 2019. "Toward the Integration of SDGs in Higher Planning Education: Insights from Integrated Urbanism Study Program in Belgrade," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(17), pages 1-17, August.
    3. Rodrigo Lozano & Maria Barreiro-Gen & Francisco J. Lozano & Kaisu Sammalisto, 2019. "Teaching Sustainability in European Higher Education Institutions: Assessing the Connections between Competences and Pedagogical Approaches," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-17, March.
    4. Sachs,Jeffrey & Schmidt-Traub,Guido & Kroll,Christian & Lafortune,Guillaume & Fuller,Grayson & Woelm,Finn, 2021. "Sustainable Development Report 2020," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108994651.
    5. Adesuwa Vanessa Agbedahin, 2019. "Sustainable development, Education for Sustainable Development, and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Emergence, efficacy, eminence, and future," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(4), pages 669-680, July.
    6. Christopher J. Waples & Benjamin J. Brachle, 2020. "Recruiting millennials: Exploring the impact of CSR involvement and pay signaling on organizational attractiveness," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 27(2), pages 870-880, March.
    7. Sachs,Jeffrey & Schmidt-Traub,Guido & Kroll,Christian & Lafortune,Guillaume & Fuller,Grayson & Woelm,Finn, 2021. "Sustainable Development Report 2020," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781108834209.
    8. Jorge Membrillo-Hernández & Vianney Lara-Prieto & Patricia Caratozzolo, 2021. "Sustainability: A Public Policy, a Concept, or a Competence? Efforts on the Implementation of Sustainability as a Transversal Competence throughout Higher Education Programs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-14, December.
    9. Jakub Swacha & Rytis Maskeliūnas & Robertas Damaševičius & Audrius Kulikajevas & Tomas Blažauskas & Karolina Muszyńska & Agnieszka Miluniec & Magdalena Kowalska, 2021. "Introducing Sustainable Development Topics into Computer Science Education: Design and Evaluation of the Eco JSity Game," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-17, April.
    10. Damien Chaney & Mourad Touzani & Karim Ben Slimane, 2017. "Marketing to the (new) generations: summary and perspectives," Post-Print hal-02047966, HAL.
    11. Ting Guan & Ke Meng & Wei Liu & Lan Xue, 2019. "Public Attitudes toward Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from Five Chinese Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(20), pages 1-20, October.
    12. Ainhoa Saitua-Iribar & Javier Corral-Lage & Noemi Peña-Miguel, 2020. "Improving Knowledge about the Sustainable Development Goals through a Collaborative Learning Methodology and Serious Game," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(15), pages 1-11, July.
    13. Younghan Jung & Kayoung Park & Junyong Ahn, 2019. "Sustainability in Higher Education: Perceptions of Social Responsibility among University Students," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 8(3), pages 1-14, March.
    14. Andrew Dobson, 2007. "Environmental citizenship: towards sustainable development," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 15(5), pages 276-285.
    15. Rocío Valderrama-Hernández & Fermín Sánchez-Carracedo & Lucía Alcántara Rubio & Dolores Limón-Domínguez, 2019. "Methodology to Analyze the Effectiveness of ESD in a Higher Degree in Education. A Case Study," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(1), pages 1-27, December.
    16. Sachs,Jeffrey & Kroll,Christian & Lafortune,Guillame & Fuller,Grayson & Woelm,Finn, 2021. "Sustainable Development Report 2021," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781009098915.
    17. Kaisu Sammalisto & Agneta Sundström & Robin Von Haartman & Tove Holm & Zhilei Yao, 2016. "Learning about Sustainability—What Influences Students’ Self-Perceived Sustainability Actions after Undergraduate Education?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(6), pages 1-16, May.
    18. Francisco Zamora-Polo & Jesús Sánchez-Martín & Mario Corrales-Serrano & Luis Espejo-Antúnez, 2019. "What Do University Students Know about Sustainable Development Goals? A Realistic Approach to the Reception of this UN Program Amongst the Youth Population," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(13), pages 1-19, June.
    19. Aldo Alvarez-Risco & Shyla Del-Aguila-Arcentales & Marc A. Rosen & Verónica García-Ibarra & Sandra Maycotte-Felkel & Gabriel Mauricio Martínez-Toro, 2021. "Expectations and Interests of University Students in COVID-19 Times about Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-19, March.
    20. Eva-Maria Waltner & Werner Rieß & Christoph Mischo, 2019. "Development and Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Student Sustainability Competencies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-20, March.
    21. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    22. María Del Mar Alonso‐Almeida & Josep Llach, 2019. "Socially responsible companies: Are they the best workplace for millennials? A cross‐national analysis," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 26(1), pages 238-247, January.
    23. Rashad Brugmann & Nicolas Côté & Nathan Postma & Emily A. Shaw & Danielle Pal & John B. Robinson, 2019. "Expanding Student Engagement in Sustainability: Using SDG- and CEL-Focused Inventories to Transform Curriculum at the University of Toronto," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-20, January.
    24. Colin Kuehl & Aaron C. Sparks & Heather Hodges & Eric R. A. N. Smith, 2021. "The incoherence of sustainability literacy assessed with the Sulitest," Nature Sustainability, Nature, vol. 4(6), pages 555-560, June.
    25. Chandra Sekhar & Reeta Raina, 2021. "Towards more sustainable future: assessment of sustainability literacy among the future managers in India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(11), pages 15830-15856, November.
    26. Ya-Ching Chang & Hsing-Lung Lien, 2020. "Mapping Course Sustainability by Embedding the SDGs Inventory into the University Curriculum: A Case Study from National University of Kaohsiung in Taiwan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-21, May.
    27. Rodrigo Lozano & Michelle Y. Merrill & Kaisu Sammalisto & Kim Ceulemans & Francisco J. Lozano, 2017. "Connecting Competences and Pedagogical Approaches for Sustainable Development in Higher Education: A Literature Review and Framework Proposal," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-15, October.
    28. Walter Leal Filho & Kay Emblen-Perry & Petra Molthan-Hill & Mark Mifsud & Leendert Verhoef & Ulisses Miranda Azeiteiro & Paula Bacelar-Nicolau & Luiza Olim de Sousa & Paula Castro & Ali Beynaghi & Jen, 2019. "Implementing Innovation on Environmental Sustainability at Universities Around the World," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(14), pages 1-16, July.
    29. Tasneem Alsaati & Samir El-Nakla & Darin El-Nakla, 2020. "Level of Sustainability Awareness among University Students in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(8), pages 1-15, April.
    30. Michael Luchs & Todd Mooradian, 2012. "Sex, Personality, and Sustainable Consumer Behaviour: Elucidating the Gender Effect," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 127-144, March.
    31. Zaloa Aginako & Teresa Guraya, 2021. "Students’ Perception about Sustainability in the Engineering School of Bilbao (University of the Basque Country): Insertion Level and Importance," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-20, August.
    32. Fermín Sánchez-Carracedo & Jordi Segalas & Gorka Bueno & Pere Busquets & Joan Climent & Victor G. Galofré & Boris Lazzarini & David Lopez & Carme Martín & Rafael Miñano & Estíbaliz Sáez de Cámara & Bá, 2021. "Tools for Embedding and Assessing Sustainable Development Goals in Engineering Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-30, November.
    33. Caitlin K. Kirby & Adam Zwickle, 2021. "Sustainability behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge: comparing university students and the general public," Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences, Springer;Association of Environmental Studies and Sciences, vol. 11(4), pages 639-647, December.
    34. Francisco Zamora-Polo & Jesús Sánchez-Martín, 2019. "Teaching for a Better World. Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals in the Construction of a Change-Maker University," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(15), pages 1-15, August.
    35. James Swaim & Michael Maloni & Stuart Napshin & Amy Henley, 2014. "Influences on Student Intention and Behavior Toward Environmental Sustainability," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 124(3), pages 465-484, October.
    36. Damien Chaney & Mourad Touzani & Karim Ben Slimane, 2017. "Marketing to the (new) generations: summary and perspectives," Post-Print hal-02541232, HAL.
    37. Sachs,Jeffrey & Kroll,Christian & Lafortune,Guillame & Fuller,Grayson & Woelm,Finn, 2021. "Sustainable Development Report 2021," Cambridge Books, Cambridge University Press, number 9781009102896, May.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Gamze Sart, 2022. "Impact of Higher Education and Globalization on Sustainable Development in the New EU Member States," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-13, September.
    2. Wenyuan Liu & Min Yang, 2023. "Construction of Input-Comparison-Output (ICO) Intercultural Mode for Sustainable Development in EFL Education," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-13, June.
    3. Yuefei Su & Shuai Zhong & Li An & Lei Shen & Ding Li, 2023. "An Information System for Comprehensive Evaluation of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Services Value: Design and Case Application," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-16, March.
    4. Angela Yi Jing Tsai & Alex Yong Kwang Tan, 2022. "Analysis of Undergraduates’ Environmentally Friendly Behavior: Case Study of Tzu Chi University Environmental Education Program," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-17, July.
    5. Mussie T. Tessema & Huh Jung Hahn & Scott Buck & Maddie Burke & Thomas Coppola & Katie Kasprzak & Whitni Kral & Gust Petropoulos, 2024. "Sustainable Business: Practices, Trends, Benefits, Challenges, and Innovative Strategies," Journal of Sustainable Development, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 17(2), pages 1-73, March.
    6. Nirda de Jesús Colón-Flores & Maira Rafaela Vargas-Martínez & Joselina Caridad Tavarez-De Henríquez & Cándida María Domínguez-Valerio, 2023. "Environmental, Social and Economic Attitudes and Sustainable Knowledge on the Sustainable Behaviour of Engineering Students: An Analysis Based on Attitudes towards Teachers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(18), pages 1-20, September.
    7. Mihai Burlacu & Răzvan Gabriel Boboc & Eugen Valentin Butilă, 2022. "Smart Cities and Transportation: Reviewing the Scientific Character of the Theories," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(13), pages 1-15, July.
    8. Riccardo Boiocchi & Marco Ragazzi & Vincenzo Torretta & Elena Cristina Rada, 2023. "Critical Analysis of the GreenMetric World University Ranking System: The Issue of Comparability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, January.
    9. Guorui Chen & Li Cheng & Foyuan Li, 2022. "Integrating Sustainability and Users’ Demands in the Retrofit of a University Campus in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-21, August.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Carmen García-Peña & Moneyba González-Medina & Jose Manuel Diaz-Sarachaga, 2021. "Assessment of the Governance Dimension in the Frame of the 2030 Agenda: Evidence from 100 Spanish Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-21, May.
    2. Marie Stenton & Veronika Kapsali & Richard S. Blackburn & Joseph A. Houghton, 2021. "From Clothing Rations to Fast Fashion: Utilising Regenerated Protein Fibres to Alleviate Pressures on Mass Production," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-18, September.
    3. Mohammed Al-Surf & Ashraf Balabel & Mamdooh Alwetaishi & Ahmed Abdelhafiz & Usama Issa & Ibrahim Sharaky & Amal Shamseldin & Mosleh Al-Harthi, 2021. "Stakeholder’s Perspective on Green Building Rating Systems in Saudi Arabia: The Case of LEED, Mostadam, and the SDGs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-25, July.
    4. Míriam Hernández-Barco & Jesús Sánchez-Martín & José Blanco-Salas & Trinidad Ruiz-Téllez, 2020. "Teaching Down to Earth —Service-Learning Methodology for Science Education and Sustainability at the University Level: A Practical Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-23, January.
    5. Raghu Raman & Nava Subramaniam & Vinith Kumar Nair & Avinash Shivdas & Krishnashree Achuthan & Prema Nedungadi, 2022. "Women Entrepreneurship and Sustainable Development: Bibliometric Analysis and Emerging Research Trends," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-31, July.
    6. Antonia Asenjo & Verónica Escudero & Hannah Liepmann, 2024. "Why Should we Integrate Income and Employment Support? A Conceptual and Empirical Investigation," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 60(1), pages 1-29, January.
    7. Aldo Alvarez-Risco & Shyla Del-Aguila-Arcentales & Marc A. Rosen & Verónica García-Ibarra & Sandra Maycotte-Felkel & Gabriel Mauricio Martínez-Toro, 2021. "Expectations and Interests of University Students in COVID-19 Times about Sustainable Development Goals: Evidence from Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, and Peru," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-19, March.
    8. George H. Ionescu & Elena Jianu & Ioana C. Patrichi & Florin Ghiocel & Lili Țenea & Delia Iancu, 2021. "Assessment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Implementation in Bulgaria and Future Developments," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-33, October.
    9. Miji Kwon & Eun-Mi Jang & Wonyoung Yang, 2022. "Mask-Wearing Perception of Preschool Children in Korea during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-13, September.
    10. Yok-Yong Lee & Kim-Leng Goh, 2023. "The Happiness-Economic Well-Being Nexus: New Insights From Global Panel Data," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, October.
    11. Alexandra-Maria Danilet, 2022. "Digital Technologies: Key Vector In Achieving Sustainable Development Goals," Annals - Economy Series, Constantin Brancusi University, Faculty of Economics, vol. 2, pages 58-63, April.
    12. Di Ye & Yufei Zhang & Qilun Li & Xue Zhang & Chunli Chu & Meiting Ju, 2022. "Assessing the Spatiotemporal Development of Ecological Civilization for China’s Sustainable Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-20, July.
    13. Qiezeng Yuan, 2021. "How to Restrain Regulatory Capture and Promote Green Innovation in China. An Analysis Based on Evolutionary Game Theory," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-20, August.
    14. Łukasz Sułkowski & Katarzyna Kolasińska-Morawska & Robert Seliga & Piotr Buła & Paweł Morawski, 2021. "Sustainability Culture of Polish Universities in Professionalization of Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-22, December.
    15. Mauro D’Apuzzo & Azzurra Evangelisti & Rose Line Spacagna & Giuseppe Cappelli & Vittorio Nicolosi & Giuseppe Modoni & Luca Paolella, 2022. "Seismic Resilience Assessment Strategy for Social and Sustainability Impact Evaluation on Transportation Road Network: A Seismic Liquefaction-Induced Damage Application," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(14), pages 1-17, July.
    16. Dongbing Li & Yao Chang & Zibibula Simayi & Shengtian Yang, 2022. "Multi-Scenario Dynamic Simulation of Urban Agglomeration Development on the Northern Slope of the Tianshan Mountains in Xinjiang, China, with the Goal of High-Quality Urban Construction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-19, June.
    17. Agne Brandisauskiene & Loreta Buksnyte-Marmiene & Jurate Cesnaviciene & Ausra Daugirdiene & Egle Kemeryte-Ivanauskiene & Rasa Nedzinskaite-Maciuniene, 2021. "Connection between Teacher Support and Student’s Achievement: Could Growth Mindset Be the Moderator?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-14, December.
    18. Miji Kwon & Wonyoung Yang, 2022. "Mask-Wearing Behaviors after Two Years of Wearing Masks Due to COVID-19 in Korea: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-18, November.
    19. Weng Hoe Lam & Weng Siew Lam & Kah Fai Liew & Pei Fun Lee, 2023. "Decision Analysis on the Financial Performance of Companies Using Integrated Entropy-Fuzzy TOPSIS Model," Mathematics, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-18, January.
    20. Stasys Mizaras & Diana Lukmine, 2021. "Forest and Society’s Welfare: Impact Assessment in Lithuania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-14, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:8:p:4552-:d:791397. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.