Environmental Education Exposure and Behavioural Change Towards Plastic Use Reduction in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria

This study investigated environmental education exposure and behavioural change towards plastic use reduction in Port Harcourt metropolis, Rivers State, Nigeria. It was guided by three objectives, each with corresponding research questions and null hypotheses. The research employed a correlation survey design, targeting a population of 10,000 residents, including school-age youth, traders, households, and community members. A sample of 1,000 respondents, representing 10% of the population, was selected through simple random sampling. Data was collected using two questionnaires: the Environmental Education Exposure Assessment Scale (EEEAS) and the Behavioural Change Towards Plastic Use Reduction Assessment Scale (BCTPURAS). Both instruments were validated, and their reliability was confirmed with Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.84 and 0.87. Data analysis involved simple linear regression to answer the research questions, while t-tests associated with regression were used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. The findings of the study revealed that community sensitisation and school programme predict behavioural change toward plastic use reduction in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State by to a very low extent by 15% and 5%, respectively, while media engagement predicts behavioural change toward plastic use reduction in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State by to a low extent by 28%. Based on these findings, the study concludes that environmental education exposure through community sensitisation, school programmes, and media engagement predicts behavioural change toward plastic use reduction in Port Harcourt Metropolis, Rivers State, though only to low and very low extents, with media engagement exerting the greatest influence. Hence, it was recommended among others that community leaders and NGOs should strengthen grassroots sensitisation through continuous awareness campaigns and locally driven initiatives to boost behavioural change.