Beyond Awareness: Psychological, Social, and Structural Factors Associated with Sustainable Behavior Among Adolescents in Urban Bengaluru, India
Suhani Mehta and Resham Jain
09/09/2026
Adolescence is an essential phase of human growth and development, during which pro-environmental beliefs and behaviors develop and frequently carry over into adulthood. This research explored the psychological, social, and situational factors associated with sustainable actions (donation and reuse) of adolescents in urban Bengaluru, India. One hundred and three (N = 103) adolescents completed a 21-question survey, which was distributed online, investigating the students' levels of awareness of sustainability, environmental self-identity, the influence of parents and friends, accessibility to sustainability programs and navigation tools to assist with sustainability, as well as motivational factors to encourage sustainable actions. Quantitative data were analyzed using one-way ANOVAs (testing differences in group means) and Spearman's rank-order correlations. Qualitative data were coded and categorized into themes. Statistically significant group differences were found between sustainability familiarity groups and donation frequency (F(4, 98) = 3.85, p = .006, η² = .14), and between environmental self-identity groups and donation frequency (F(4, 98) = 3.13, p = .018, η² = .11). The participants' perceived ease of participation was the largest bivariate correlate of their donation behavior (r = .44, p < .001). The association between parental encouragement and donation behavior was stronger than that of peer encouragement (parents: r = .42, p < .001; peers: r = .26, p = .008). Qualitative themes identified convenience, observable impacts, and gamifying systems as facilitators, and time constraints, access issues, and institutional mistrust as roadblocks. The study findings emphasize the necessity of access to, meaningful interactions with, and development of environmental identity through school-based sustainability programs.