Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours of JKUAT Undergraduate Students Towards Environmental Protection

Understanding students' attitudes and behaviours toward the environment is paramount in today's world, where environmental challenges and sustainability issues have become major global concerns. Students represent a significant demographic that will shape the future of our planet as both future leaders and consumers. Their attitudes and behaviours toward the environment can have a profound impact on how societies address environmental problems and make sustainable decisions. This article uses the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) and Environmentally Responsible Behaviour Index (ERBI) to determine the environmental attitudes and behaviours of Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology students regarding environmental protection. In addition, the department also studies the influence of gender on attitudes and behaviour. A sample of 426 students was collected in 2022. Principal component analysis has been used to explain environmental attitudes and behaviours toward environmental issues. To determine the effects of gender and the influence of departmental programs on attitudes and behaviours, a one-way Analysis of Variance method was used. The results showed that students strongly support the NEP ideology. Gender has a large influence on attitudes and behaviours toward the environment, and the study found no statistically significant relationship between a student's attitudes toward the environment and the faculty they attend.