The attitudes of university students towards the environment and environmental problems

Rapid and improper growth of the world population, unplanned settlement, release of dangerous waste, rapid depletion of green areas,global warming, increased frequency of natural disasters etc. constitute significant economic, technological, ecological and sociological problems.
It is obvious that educational initiatives are important in the search for permanent solutions to environmental problems. Youth education is an especially prudent strategy for securing the future of the communities and protecting the environment.  Hence, present research was designed and carried out to determine the attitudes of university students towards the environment and  environmental problems.
 
METHOD: In this descriptive study carried out among  students attending the Department of Family and Consumer Science Education in Industrial Education Arts Faculty of Gazi University, a sample selection was not used; instead, out of the total population (N=358), the group (n=252) which completed the questionnaire was contacted as study respondents. To collect data, the researchers developed a questionnaire composed of 17 items and also used the “Environmental Attitude Scale”. Collected data was assessed by using the SPSS 13.0 Instruments such as distribution of number-per cent, mean, Mann Whitney U test and Kruskal Wallis analysis were used.
FINDINGS
Most of the respondents reported that individuals must take a role in solving the environmental problems (73.0%), the government must take necessary precautions (74.6%) and environmental organizations must play their part (71.0%). The analysis carried out between the personal and family-related characteristics of the students and their “Environmental Attitude Scale” grades revealed that there is a difference between the education of respondents and their parents (p<0.05).
Key words:Environmental problems, environmental attitude scale, ecological awareness, university students