Ecological Literacy, Online Activism, and Student Organizations: The Mediating Role of Subjective Norms in Pro-Environmental Behavioral Intention

This study investigates the determinants of pro-environmental behavioral intention among university students in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, by integrating ecological literacy, online activism, and student organization participation within the frameworks of the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Norm Activation Model (NAM).Subjective norms were incorporated as a mediating variable to capture the influence of social expectations on sustainability-related behaviors.Data were collected from 290 students through an online survey and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM).The results demonstrate that ecological literacy, online activism, and student organization participation exert significant positive effects on pro-environmental behavioral intention.Furthermore, subjective norms were found to mediate the relationships between ecological literacy and behavioral intention, as well as between student organization participation and behavioral intention, highlighting the importance of normative reinforcement in shaping sustainable commitments.However, the mediation of subjective norms was not supported in the case of online activism, suggesting that digital engagement may not consistently translate into behavioral outcomes unless reinforced by collective or institutional norms.The structural model showed substantial explanatory power, with R² values of 0.880 for behavioral intention and 0.785 for subjective norms, alongside strong predictive relevance (Q² > 0.59).The study contributes to environmental psychology and sustainability research by extending TPB and NAM into a collectivist, non-Western context.Practically, the findings emphasize the role of universities, student organizations, and policymakers in embedding pro-environmental norms within education, organizational practices, and digital campaigns to foster stronger and more consistent sustainability behaviors among youth.