A CASE STUDY ON REGIONAL VARIATIONS AND ECONOMIC DETERMINANTS OF ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT AMONG HOUSEHOLDS IN COIMBATORE CITY MUNICIPAL CORPORATION

Rapid urbanization and industrial expansion have increasingly strained ecological resources, demanding localized sustainability assessments. This study investigates the regional differences and economic determinants of the ecological footprint among households in Coimbatore City Municipal Corporation, Tamil Nadu. Using a purposive random sample of 80 households from Ward No. 17, primary data were collected through a structured questionnaire. Statistical tools such as descriptive analysis, one-way ANOVA, Tukey’s post-hoc test and multiple regression were employed to examine variations and determinants of household ecological footprints. The ANOVA results revealed significant regional differences (p < 0.01) in food, water, waste and total ecological footprint components across the North, South, East and West regions. Tukey’s HSD test confirmed that the South and West regions exhibited significantly higher ecological footprint values, reflecting greater resource consumption and waste generation. Regression analysis indicated that household income, expenditure, family size and land ownership significantly increased ecological footprint, while household savings had a negative and significant influence. The model achieved a strong explanatory power (R² = 0.664, F = 56.28, p < 0.001). The findings highlight that economic well-being and consumption intensity are key drivers of environmental stress, suggesting the need for sustainable consumption practices, efficient resource management and region-specific environmental policy interventions to mitigate ecological imbalance in urban areas. Keywords: Ecological Footprint; Sustainable Consumption; Household Economics; Regional Variation; Environmental Sustainability