The impact of social media on knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards sustainable consumption in higher education institutions

Purpose: Overconsumption is an escalating problem, the unchecked levels of production and consumption craft a vicious cycle that results in excessive exploitation of natural resources. This research attempts to assess the sustainable consumption practices (SDG 12) of university students by implying...

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Main Authors: Hammna Jillani, Muhammad Nawaz Chaudhry, Syeda Rabab Jafri, Hesan Zahid
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-06-01
Series:Cleaner and Responsible Consumption
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266678432500035X
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author Hammna Jillani
Muhammad Nawaz Chaudhry
Syeda Rabab Jafri
Hesan Zahid
author_facet Hammna Jillani
Muhammad Nawaz Chaudhry
Syeda Rabab Jafri
Hesan Zahid
author_sort Hammna Jillani
collection DOAJ
description Purpose: Overconsumption is an escalating problem, the unchecked levels of production and consumption craft a vicious cycle that results in excessive exploitation of natural resources. This research attempts to assess the sustainable consumption practices (SDG 12) of university students by implying Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) Framework and explores the role of social media in disseminating environment related information and content. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on a sample of (n = 485) university students from various public and private sectors, this quantitative research used a survey designed to test the KAP framework, analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling via SmartPLS 4.0. Findings: The study reveals that only knowledge alone may not significantly influence the sustainable consumption practices of university students rather the external factors like social media usage can significantly influence the relationship between knowledge and sustainable consumption practices. However, knowledge is found to have a positive impact on the attitude (towards sustainable consumption) which can further lead to positive practices by the students. The mediating role of social media integrated with the moderating role of gender in using social media platforms has been observed in the study. Originality: The novelty of this work lies in identifying the mediating role of social media usage as an agent to promote sustainable consumption practices. Young adults can be made mindful of their consumption and purchasing habits by making them realize the harsh reality of overconsumption. Collaborative efforts by the education sector along with environmental campaigns and content of social media platforms can result in augmented awareness thus, raising the idea of sustainable consumption among students and helping them to make the right adoptions for safeguarding natural resources.
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spelling doaj-art-6b04c476a7e94a789e2da3aaed4866442025-08-20T02:05:59ZengElsevierCleaner and Responsible Consumption2666-78432025-06-011710028410.1016/j.clrc.2025.100284The impact of social media on knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards sustainable consumption in higher education institutionsHammna Jillani0Muhammad Nawaz Chaudhry1Syeda Rabab Jafri2Hesan Zahid3Faculty of Management, Prague University of Economics and Business, Prague, Czech Republic; Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Lahore School of Economics, Lahore, Pakistan; Corresponding author.Department of Environmental Science and Policy, Lahore School of Economics, Lahore, PakistanDepartment of Mathematics and Statistical Sciences, Lahore School of Economics, Lahore, PakistanFaculty of Management, Prague University of Economics and Business, Prague, Czech RepublicPurpose: Overconsumption is an escalating problem, the unchecked levels of production and consumption craft a vicious cycle that results in excessive exploitation of natural resources. This research attempts to assess the sustainable consumption practices (SDG 12) of university students by implying Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices (KAP) Framework and explores the role of social media in disseminating environment related information and content. Design/methodology/approach: Drawing on a sample of (n = 485) university students from various public and private sectors, this quantitative research used a survey designed to test the KAP framework, analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling via SmartPLS 4.0. Findings: The study reveals that only knowledge alone may not significantly influence the sustainable consumption practices of university students rather the external factors like social media usage can significantly influence the relationship between knowledge and sustainable consumption practices. However, knowledge is found to have a positive impact on the attitude (towards sustainable consumption) which can further lead to positive practices by the students. The mediating role of social media integrated with the moderating role of gender in using social media platforms has been observed in the study. Originality: The novelty of this work lies in identifying the mediating role of social media usage as an agent to promote sustainable consumption practices. Young adults can be made mindful of their consumption and purchasing habits by making them realize the harsh reality of overconsumption. Collaborative efforts by the education sector along with environmental campaigns and content of social media platforms can result in augmented awareness thus, raising the idea of sustainable consumption among students and helping them to make the right adoptions for safeguarding natural resources.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266678432500035XKAPSustainable consumptionSocial mediaHigher educationUniversity students
spellingShingle Hammna Jillani
Muhammad Nawaz Chaudhry
Syeda Rabab Jafri
Hesan Zahid
The impact of social media on knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards sustainable consumption in higher education institutions
Cleaner and Responsible Consumption
KAP
Sustainable consumption
Social media
Higher education
University students
title The impact of social media on knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards sustainable consumption in higher education institutions
title_full The impact of social media on knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards sustainable consumption in higher education institutions
title_fullStr The impact of social media on knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards sustainable consumption in higher education institutions
title_full_unstemmed The impact of social media on knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards sustainable consumption in higher education institutions
title_short The impact of social media on knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) towards sustainable consumption in higher education institutions
title_sort impact of social media on knowledge attitude and practices kap towards sustainable consumption in higher education institutions
topic KAP
Sustainable consumption
Social media
Higher education
University students
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S266678432500035X
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