Knowledge and Attitudes Toward the Water, Food and Energy Nexus Among Students in Türkiye

The water, food, and energy nexus has become central to debates on sustainability and climate adaptation, yet students’ capacity to understand these interdependencies remains unclear. This study examined knowledge and attitudes toward the nexus among 397 students enrolled in nine faculties at Bursa Uludağ University in Türkiye. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire covering demographic characteristics, conceptual knowledge, attitudes, behavioural tendencies and perceived barriers. Nexus knowledge was operationalised as a summative index of ten equally weighted items scored as correct (1) or incorrect/uncertain (0). Hierarchical regression was used to identify the determinants of nexus knowledge, and path analysis was used to test the indirect effects of knowledge on behavioural intention through professional confidence. Only 38.8% of respondents correctly identified the nexus as an interconnected resource framework and 60.7% reported no prior coursework on sustainability or climate change. Information exposure and course participation explained substantially more variance in nexus knowledge (ΔR2 = 0.192) than demographic (ΔR2 = 0.043) and socioeconomic variables (ΔR2 = 0.074) combined. Knowledge had a significant indirect effect on behavioural intention through professional confidence (indirect effect = 0.16, 95% CI [0.09, 0.24]; final model R2 = 0.398, Adjusted R2 = 0.385). Attitudes were generally moderate rather than strongly environmental, and behavioural responses were highly polarised, pointing to a persistent gap between concern and action. Students identified knowledge deficits and technological limitations as the main barriers to nexus management and strongly preferred interdisciplinary coursework as the most effective educational intervention. The findings indicate that formal educational exposure plays a larger role than background characteristics in shaping nexus literacy and that embedding systems thinking into disciplinary curricula may strengthen sustainability competence among future professionals.