The Effects of Eco-Friendly Attitudes and Clothing Management Awareness on Sustainable Clothing Management Behaviors of University Students

The purposes of this study was to examine the effects of eco-friendly attitudes and clothing management awareness on sustainable clothing management behaviors. The subjects were 300 university students, and the research method employed was a survey. The measuring instruments included assessments of eco-friendly attitudes, clothing management awareness, sustainable clothing management behaviors, and the subjects’ demographic attributes. The data were analyzed using Cronbach’ α, factor analysis, and regression analysis with the SPSS program. The results were as follows: First, two factors (eco-friendly awareness and eco-friendly interest/participation) were identified within eco-friendly attitudes. University students demonstrated a high level of eco-friendly awareness but a low level of eco-friendly interest/ participation. Second, clothing management awareness was identified as a single factor, with university students showing a moderate level of awareness; notably, awareness of laundry behavior was lower than that of use and storage behaviors. Third, three factors (active, general, passive behaviors) were identified in sustainable clothing management behaviors. University students exhibited above-everage levels in passive and general management behaviors but below-average levels in active management behaviors. Finally, both eco-friendly attitudes and clothing management awareness had significant positive effects on sustainable clothing management behaviors. However, the analysis confirmed that clothing management awareness is a more crucial variable influencing sustainable clothing management behavior than eco-friendly attitude.