Environmental Literacy of Generations X, Y, and Z in a Provincial Center in Turkey: A Descriptive-Comparative Study
Abstract
Objective: This research was conducted to determine the environmental literacy and behaviors of Generations X, Y, and Z.
Method: This descriptive-comparative study involved a total of 1,148 participants, comprising 376 from Generation X, 399 from Generation Y, and 373 from Generation Z. Data were collected using the Demographic Characteristics Form and the Environmental Literacy Scale for Adults.
Results: It was found that 67.8% of participants had not received any education on environmental issues, 81.8% disposed of used cooking oil in the trash or sink, 43.6% discarded waste batteries in the trash, and 62.1% were unfamiliar with the concept of ecological footprint. The environmental literacy of Generation Z was significantly lower than that of Generations X and Y. Nuclear family type, perception of high income, lack of social security, willingness to receive environmental education, separate disposal of waste cooking oil, disposal of waste batteries in designated units, and use of recycling bins were identified as factors influencing environmental literacy for all participants. These variables explained 22.4% of the variance in environmental literacy.
Conclusion: The results revealed insufficient environmental behaviors in the sample and lower environmental literacy in Generation Z compared to Generations X and Y. It is recommended to conduct informative and educational programs and prepare public service announcements in order to enhance community environmental awareness and promote appropriate environmental health behaviors
Keywords
Environment , literacy , community-based participatory research , public health.
References
- Akıllı, M. & Genç, M. (2015). Ortaokul Öğrencilerinin Çevre Okuryazarlığı Alt Boyutlarının Çeşitli Değişkenler Açısından İncelenmesi. Sakarya University Journal of Education, 5(2), 81-97.
- Aktan, M. & Kethüda, Ö. (2024). The role of environmental literacy, psychological distance of climate change, and collectivism on generation Z's collaborative consumption tendency. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 23(1), 126-140. DOI: 10.1002/cb.2159
- Ardoin, N. M., Bowers, A. W., & Wheaton, M. (2023). Leveraging collective action and environmental literacy to address complex sustainability challenges. Ambio, 52(1), 30-44. DOI: 10.1007/s13280-022-01764-6
- Atabek-Yiğit, E., Köklükaya, N., Yavuz, M. & Demirhan, E. (2014). Development and validation of environmental literacy scale for adults (ELSA). Journal of Baltic Science Education, 13(3), 425.
- Bahar, M. & Kiras, B. (2017). Türkiye’de yayımlanan çevre eğitimi konulu makale ve tezlerin genel analizi. Abant İzzet Baysal Üniversitesi Eğitim Fakültesi Dergisi. 17(4), 1702-1720. DOI: 10.17240/aibuefd.2017.17.32772-363962
- Blanca, M. J., Arnau, J., López-Montiel, D., Bono, R., & Bendayan, R. (2013). Skewness and kurtosis in real data samples. Methodology. 9(2), 78-84. DOI: 10.1027/1614-2241/a000057
- Braveman, P. & Gottlieb, L. (2014). The social determinants of health: it's time to consider the causes of the causes. Public Health Reports, 129(1-suppl.2), 19-31. DOI: 10.1177/00333549141291S206
- Çelik, S. (2016). Hemşirelik ve tıp öğrencilerinin çevre sorunlarına yönelik tutumları. Sağlık Bilimleri ve Meslekleri Dergisi. 3(2), 91-98. DOI: 10.17681/hsp.79715
- Demirtaş, N., Akbulut, M.C. & Özşen, Z.S. (2018). Üniversite öğrencilerinin çevre okuryazarlığı üzerine bir araştırma: Beypazarı Meslek Yüksekokulu örneği. Journal of Anatolian Environmental and Animal Sciences, 3(1), 27-33. DOI: 10.35229/jaes.392248
- Erdoğan. S., Nahcivan, N. & Esin, M.N. (Eds.). (2015). Hemşirelikte araştırma: süreç, ugulama ve kritik. Nobel Tıp Kitabevi. Ankara. Türkiye.
