Beliefs and Intentions to enact Positive Environmental Change: A Study of Undergraduates of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria
- May 26, 2022
- Posted by: rsispostadmin
- Categories: IJRISS, Social Science
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume VI, Issue V, May 2022 | ISSN 2454–6186
Ms. Rebecca N. Peters & Engin BAYSEN PhD.
Near East University, Turkey
Abstract: This study assessed beliefs and intentions of the undergraduates of the University of Ibadan, Nigeria, to enact positive environmental change using a quantitative survey research design. Data was analyzed using simple percentage, and Mann Whitney U and Kruskal Wallis.
Among other findings, results showed moderately high beliefs (3.97 mean) and intentions (3.56 mean), established a correlation between beliefs and intentions (r(399)=0.265, p=0.000), no significant difference between the beliefs according to gender (p=0.647), and no significant difference between the intentions according to gender (p=0.931). We concluded that the undergraduates believed in the occurrence of climate change, and its adverse implications on the environment.
Keywords: Beliefs, Climate Change, Environmental Change, Intentions, Undergraduates
I. INTRODUCTION
Across the world, change in the environment is a critical issue that requires urgent and collective effort as adverse weather conditions affect the survival of sensitive species and habitats (Nickerson & Moray, 1995), especially in recent times, stakeholders have grown huge concerns about the future harm that environmental change poses if it continues unhalted. Stakeholders across the world are not oblivion of the implications of man-made climate change, and these implications are widespread (United Nations, 2015).
Environmental changes are global/universal issues, especially as the world is witnessing global warming with various degrees of negative implications (Barnett, 2009). According to scale Mendelsohn & Williams (2006), climate change poses environmental, social, and economic challenges across the globe, and encompasses a significant shift in the pattern of wind, precipitation, temperature, among other climatic implications (Knutson, 2011). Climate change translates into environmental change (AkinyoadeAkinwande, 2016). Environmental changes are seen as having social implications, and the social class of the people determines how susceptible they are to the climate and environmental change implications.
