International students in New Zealand: Empirical evidence of their influence on future environmental sustainability

Abstract

International tertiary students could be some of the future inhabitants of New Zealand. They could be the leaders of tomorrow and it is important for a tertiary institution to determine what their perceptions, attitudes and behaviours are towards sustainability. Some similarities and differences of opinion were identified and discussed between the different nationalities, religions and ages between the two age groups under 20, and 20 to 39 years of age. Comparisons resulting from the 2011 data to identify trends in student approaches to sustainability issues add value to this research. This study determined that the demographic factors affects an individual’s thinking patterns to some extent, and the different religions have similar perceptions regarding protection of natural resources, limited resources and pollution caused by various sources. The research is based on the assumption that positive attitudes lead to positive behaviours and aims to establish what people’s attitudes towards sustainability and the environment are. The results show the development of a positive trend in terms of thinking and the behaviour towards environment conservation. Recommendations for tertiary institutions form the last section before the conclusions.