ADVOCATING FOR SUSTAINABILITY: A STUDY OF ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIORAL INTENTIONS TOWARD THE ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

This study examines how the position of a Sustainability Advocate impacted the behavioral intentions and attitudes towards the environment for members of Kappa Alpha Theta (KAT) on U of A’s campus. A pre-test survey was distributed to determine members’ general attitudes and behavioral intentions with a 39.70% response rate. This was followed by multiple months of educational presentations by the Sustainability Advocate over topics such as composting, recycling, water usage, etc. The post-test survey had a 19.85% response rate, however the overlap between participants for both the pre- and post-test surveys was only 0.045%, 12 people. A paired samples t-test was used to determine the difference in members’ attitudes and behavioral intentions toward the environment before and after the presentations by the Sustainability Advocate. Of the 12 participants, 83.33% saw 4+ sustainability presentations. The means increased for both attitudes and behavioral intentions from Time 1 to Time 2, however, the shortage of participants led the findings to be non-significant. Further research would need to ensure participation of chapter members for both the pre- and post-test phases. Overall, increased behavioral intentions and more positive attitudes toward helping the environment signal the beneficial effects of continuing sustainability advocacy.