Youths' perception and knowledge towards environmental problems in a developing country: in the case of Ataturk University, Turkey

This study explores the perception and knowledge of environmental problems among students of Ataturk University, Turkey, as a developing country, by comparing their perceptions with known facts about environmental problems at local, national, and global levels. In addition, the correlation between the student groups and their knowledge levels and the differences between the student groups according to their knowledge levels when taking age and gender into account are explored. To this end, the research designed as a case study and pursued an exploratory approach revealed that major perceived environmental problems show differences at local, national, and global levels; that consensus on both major perceived problems and knowledge decreases from a local to global level; that a weak correlation exists between the age (r (205) = -.010; .002; -.071) and gender groups (r (205) = -.099; -.125; .065) in terms of their knowledge at local, national, and global level, respectively; and that the contribution of knowledge at a national level can help to explain differences among the age groups (-.304; .102; -.148) at national level and the gender groups (.131; -.205) at national and global levels.