Primary pupils’ engagement with the sdgs across knowledge, attitudes and behaviour

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aims to integrate cognitive, affective and behavioural learning from early schooling, nevertheless empirical evidence on how children engage with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is still limited. This study examines the knowledge, attitudes and self-reported behaviours of 252 primary pupils (aged 9–10) in Spain using a validated Knowledge–Attitudes–Behaviours questionnaire covering five SDGs (3, 12, 13, 14 and 15). The results reveal consistent asymmetries across learning dimensions, with strong pro-sustainability attitudes, more uneven knowledge and weaker behavioural engagement, indicating an early attitude–behaviour gap. Environmental aspects were more prominent than social or economic ones, with economic perspectives remaining marginal. Network analysis further suggests that attitudes occupy a central connecting position between knowledge and behaviour. These findings highlight structural imbalances in early sustainability learning and point to the need for more integrated and action-oriented approaches that strengthen pupils’ agency in everyday contexts.