Understanding of Sustainable Consumption Among University Students: A Cross‐Sectional Study at Herat, Afghanistan

ABSTRACT This study examines sustainable consumption (SC) among university students in Herat, Afghanistan, focusing on their knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP), while identifying key sociodemographic influencing factors. A cross‐sectional study using stratified random sampling included 594 participants from two universities, representing 7608 male undergraduate students. A structured questionnaire assessed knowledge, attitude, and practice. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 27. Overall, 83.0% classified as having high knowledge, 12.8% moderate knowledge, and 4.2% poor knowledge. Regarding attitude, 49.0% had a high attitude, 49.3% moderate attitude, and only 1.7% had a poor attitude. Regarding practice, 59.4% of participants reported moderate practice, 26.9% high practice, and 13.6% poor practice. Single participants (84.8%) had higher levels of knowledge than married ones (83.4%) ( p < 0.05). Both high (84.1%) and low (83.9%) economic status participants had higher knowledge levels than those with middle economic status (78.0%) ( p < 0.05). High attitude was more frequent among Jami University students (59.9%) than Herat University students (45.1%), and among medical students (58.1%) than non‐medical students (46.0%) ( p < 0.05). High practice was also more common among Jami students (42.7%) than Herat students (21.3%), and among medical (35.8%) than non‐medical students (24.0%) ( p < 0.05). The findings indicate a strong level of knowledge among university students regarding SC, though attitudes were mixed and practices remained suboptimal. Significant associations with sociodemographic factors suggest the need for targeted educational interventions to enhance sustainability‐related attitudes and translate knowledge into consistent behavioral practices.