COVID-19 and dynamics of environmental awareness, sustainable consumption and social responsibility in Malaysia

Abstract

Despite a profound evidence of the human unsustainable behaviours’ impact on the environment, stark disparities prevail on this narrative especially in the context of the current epidemiological situation ushered by the COVID-19. The ongoing pandemic is a global public health concern due to its sagacious impacts on environmental sustainability, social responsibility and people’s quality of life. This study primarily focuses on analysing the impact of COVID-19 (COV) on the environmental awareness (EA), sustainable consumption (SC) and social responsibility (SR). Additionally, we aspire to investigate the impact of demographics of generations and religion on the proposed nexus in this study. The data was collected from 700 participants of different age groups and religious backgrounds in Malaysia, and structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to analyse this data and test the hypotheses. The findings indicate that COVID-19 has a significantly positive impact on EA, SC and SR, and the generations and religiosity moderate the relationship between COVID-19 and its impact on sustainable behaviours. This study contributes to analyse the difference in the perception of EA, SC and SR among the people that eventually will stimulate the scientific reasoning among the governments, policymakers and scientists to develop a holistic framework to combat unprecedented event such as COVID-19 and ensure the authentication of sustainable environment and exceptional quality of life. The policymakers in Malaysia may use the findings of this study to inspect the social and environmental aspects of the people during the transformation events.

Short- and Mid-Term Impacts of COVID-19 Outbreak on the Nutritional Quality and Environmental Impact of Diet

“…In addition, in this same previous study, we observed an increase in ethical concern (21% of the participants) and natural content (19%) as food choice motives during the lockdown, which suggests a growing awareness of the importance of the environmental impact of food choices (10). These results echoed the raise in environmental awareness during the COVID-19 outbreak that has been documented and described by numerous scientists (11)(12)(13)(14)(15). However, to our knowledge, the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the environmental impact of diets has never been studied.…”

The Effect of Fear of COVID-19 on Green Purchase Behavior in Pakistan: A Multi-Group Analysis Between Infected and Non-infected

“…In addition, it has been found that COVID-19 changes the perception of green consumption, organic food, and food safety among Malaysians ( Safuan et al, 2021 ). Furthermore, in the context of COVID-19 pandemic, a focus on eating healthier diet and environmental awareness has been prominent and individuals were worried about the environment and its effect on their health ( Naja and Hamadeh, 2020 ; Ali Q. et al, 2021 ). Evidently, the coronavirus pandemic has affected individual’s feelings and thoughts, hygiene practices, and consumption patterns.…”

COVID-19 Impacts on Household Solid Waste Generation in Latin America - a Participatory Approach

“…For example, in Canada, Ikiz et al (2021) studied the changes on recycling habits in multi-residential buildings in Toronto and found out that during the early stages of the con nement, due to the halt of recycling activities, waste separation practices decreased to a large extent. However, the pandemic conditions also motivated a greater environmental awareness (Ali et al, 2021). Other authors have found positive changes in waste management practices and environmental awareness during the pandemic.…”