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The importance of the Sustainable Development Goals to students of environmental and sustainability studies—a global survey in 41 countries

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  • Matthias Winfried Kleespies

    (Goethe University Frankfurt)

  • Paul Wilhelm Dierkes

    (Goethe University Frankfurt)

Abstract

To fight the global problems of humanity, the United Nations has adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). To achieve these goals, it is necessary that future decision-makers and stakeholders in society consider these goals to be important. Therefore, in this study, we examined how important students in 41 countries directly related to the environmental sector rated each of the 17 SDGs. Based on the analysis of these ratings, it was possible to categorize the SDGs into three higher-level factors that reflect the three pillars of sustainability (social, economic, environmental). These three pillars are considered to be of varying importance in different countries. We also correlated the ratings of these higher-level factors with country-specific indicators, such as the Human Development Index. The correlations between the indicators and the higher-level factors revealed that in countries with higher indices, the SDGs are rated as less important compared to in countries with lower indices. These results provide stakeholders with important guidance on how the SDGs should be promoted in their country.

Suggested Citation

  • Matthias Winfried Kleespies & Paul Wilhelm Dierkes, 2022. "The importance of the Sustainable Development Goals to students of environmental and sustainability studies—a global survey in 41 countries," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 9(1), pages 1-9, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:9:y:2022:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-022-01242-0
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-022-01242-0
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Samra Maqbool & Hafiz Muhammad Ihsan Zafeer & Pingfei Zeng & Sufyan Maqbool & Zineb Draissi & Saima Javed, 2024. "Inventive leadership styles and their impact for achieving sustainable development goals in education at secondary schools: a case study from Multan, Pakistan," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Ting Guan & Qian Zhang, 2023. "Value Orientations, Personal Norms, and Public Attitude toward SDGs," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-19, February.

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