INVESTIGATION OF THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS' SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AWARENESS LEVELS AND BEHAVIOR LEVELS TOWARDS ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

For the implementation of sustainable development, the behaviors of individuals, who are at the center of the development process, towards environmental problems play a crucial role. Increasing awareness of sustainable development can lead to more effective and conscious behaviors towards environmental problems by individuals. In this respect, the research aims to examine the relationship between the awareness levels of university students regarding sustainable development and their behavior levels towards environmental problems. In the study, data collected from 401 university students studying at Kırıkkale University in the Kırıkkale province of Türkiye were analyzed using the survey method, which is a quantitative research technique. Examining the relationship between the level of behavior towards environmental problems and the level of awareness of sustainable development, specifically among university students, constitutes the original value of the study. The research findings show that there is a positive relationship between the awareness levels of university students regarding sustainable development and their behavior levels towards environmental problems. In addition, the findings reveal that the awareness levels of the participating university students regarding sustainable development explain 27.6% of their behavior levels towards environmental problems (R: 0.52 and R-squared: 0.276). This research examines the nature of the relationship between individual behaviors towards the environment and awareness of sustainable development, and highlights the importance of individual contributions to sustainability policies.