From Sustainability Awareness to Sustainable Consumption Behavior Among Sports Science Students: The Serial Mediating Roles of Attitudes and Perceived Global Social Responsibility

Background: This study aims to examine the relationship between sustainability consciousness and sustainable consumption behavior among sports science students and to reveal the serial mediating roles of attitudes toward sustainable development and perceived global social responsibility in this relationship. Methods: The sample consisted of 758 university students from different sports science departments who voluntarily participated in the study and were recruited through convenience sampling. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Sustainability Consciousness Scale, the Attitudes of Sustainable Development Scale, the Global Social Responsibility Scale, and the Sustainable Consumption Behavior Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, including descriptive statistics, tests of normality, Pearson correlation, and regression analyses. Serial mediation effects were tested using the PROCESS Macro Model 6 developed by Hayes with the bootstrap method, and sample adequacy was confirmed through Monte Carlo simulation-based power analysis. Results: The findings demonstrated significant relationships between sustainability consciousness and sustainable consumption behavior. Attitudes toward sustainable development and global social responsibility were found to play significant mediating roles in this relationship, both independently and sequentially. Conclusions: The results indicate that sustainable consumption behaviors are shaped not only by cognitive awareness but also through attitudinal and moral social processes, providing a strong scientific basis for sustainability-oriented educational policies in sports science education.