A Survey of the Relationship Between Environmental Awareness, Attitude and Pro-environmental Behavior of Female Students at Qom University

The pro-environmental behavior is one of the most effective factors for protecting the environment which is heavily depending on the environmental awareness of citizens. This study explored the effect of “environmental awareness” on “attitude” and “environmental behaviors” of Qom university female students based on Bamberg and Möser’s Theory about the factors affecting environmental behaviors. Survey research method was adopted and the data collection instrument was questionnaire. In the current study, 370 participants were selected using Cochrane formula for categorical sampling. The descriptive results showed most of the students’ (57.9 %) environmental awareness seemed to be at medium level. The inferential results indicated there was a significant relationship between the “environmental awareness“, “environmental attitude“, “tendency for environmental behavior“ and “pro-environmental behaviors“ while no significant relationship between the awareness resources and environmental awareness was observed. “Environmental awareness” directly, indirectly and generally exerts remarkable influence on environmental behavior. The results of regression analysis showed that the three remaining independent variables explained only 20.6 % of the variance of the dependent variable. In total, the findings of the present study confirmed the theoretical framework based on which the research model was planned. For improving pro-environmental behaviors, awareness resources must be reinforced, all state and private organizations and institutes as well as families must help the process of “environmental socialization”, and education quality must be enhanced.