Is Knowledge of Circular Economy, Pro-Environmental Behavior, Satisfaction with Life, and Beliefs a Predictor of Connectedness to Nature in Rural Children and Adolescents? A Pilot Study

Abstract

Sustainable development (SD) is crucial to maintaining and preserving the planet we live on. The new paradigm of circular economy (CE) corresponds to the sustainable development goals and includes environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The United Nations has set quality education and the search for good health and well-being in the long term as tools for achieving SD. This study aims to identify the predictors of connectedness to nature in children and adolescents using knowledge of CE, pro-environmental behavior, beliefs about caring for the environment, and satisfaction with life as possible predictive variables. The exploration of the influence of these predictors on connectedness to nature, taking sex and age as covariates, was performed using a binary logistic regression model. We found that low scores on pro-environmental behavior, satisfaction with life, knowledge of waste management and CE, and beliefs about environmental behavior were related to a low degree of connectedness to nature. Thus, our findings suggest that the educational system must promote not only the assimilation of knowledge and beliefs but also satisfaction with life given its relationship with connectedness to nature.

The Effect of Environmental Degradation, Climate Change, and the European Green Deal Tools on Life Satisfaction

“…In the opposite direction, noise negatively affects the quality of life [50,51] and, as it spreads faster than air pollution, it has a more significant negative impact on well-being [47]. Therefore, environmental sustainability and well-being are related [52].…”

Are happier adolescents more willing to protect the environment? Empirical evidence from Programme for International Student Assessment 2018

“…Most existing studies focus on objective factors at the individual or social level, while subjective factors are scarcely explored ( Barbaro and Pickett, 2016 ; Molinario et al, 2020 ; Scopelliti et al, 2022 ). To the best of our knowledge, only Solano-Pinto et al (2020) have empirically tested whether there is a reciprocal influence between children’s wellbeing and connectivity with nature which may promote their PEBs. Our findings validate the causal relationship of SWB on PEBs and move research in this area forward.…”

“…On the one hand, some scholars suggest that people are happier and more willing to support policies that promote environmental sustainability ( Gowdy, 2005 ; Duroy, 2008 ; Kushlev et al, 2021 ). People with a higher SWB are more willing to sacrifice their interests to protect the environment or are more willing to change their lifestyle to reduce environmental damage ( Sulemana, 2016 ; Solano-Pinto et al, 2020 ; Welsch, 2020 ; Kushlev et al, 2021 ). However, other scholars believe that too much SWB may interfere with motivations ( Diener et al, 2018 ).…”

Comportamiento Proambiental: Análisis Bibliométrico 2000-2021 Y Caracterización De Perspectivas

“…El número de publicaciones en comportamiento proambiental tiene una tasa de crecimiento anual de 21,31%. El aumento del interés de la comunidad científica en comportamiento proambiental se relaciona con la preocupación que muestran las sociedades actuales por la sustentabilidad de la vida y el papel de la educación y la cultura en la generación de comportamientos proambientales en todos los niveles (Solano-Pinto et al, 2020;Yusliza et al, 2020;Hehir et al, 2021;Zhang y Tu, 2021).…”