The Structural Relationship between ESG Awareness, Consumer Behavior, Environmental Issues, and Environmentally Friendly Actions: Focusing on Pre-Service Early Childhood Teachers

Objectives The purpose of this study is to examine the structural relationship between ESG awareness, consumer behavior, environmental issues, and environmentally friendly actions of pre-service early childhood teachers. Methods For this study, a total of 255 pre-service early childhood teachers from the Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Chungcheong-do regions were surveyed. The tendencies, normality, and reliability coefficients of the research variables were examined using SPSS 23.0 and AMOS 25.0 software. Pearson's correlation analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted. The structural model was validated using various fit indices such as X2, NFI, IFI, TLI, CFI, RMSEA(LO-HI) and SRMR. Results These are the main findings. First, regarding the research variables, ESG awareness and environmental issues scored above 4.0 points, while consumer behavior and environmentally friendly actions averaged above 3.0 points. This indicates relatively high levels, and the data also met the assumption of normality. Second, regarding environmental issues and environmentally friendly actions, statistically significant positive correlations were found between ESG awareness and its sub-factors (Environmental, Social, Governance), as well as consumer behavior. Additionally, statistically significant positive correlations were observed between environmental issues and environmentally friendly actions. Third, based on the path coefficients of the structural model, it was found that ESG awareness had a statistically significant influence on consumer behavior, environmental issues, and environmentally friendly actions. Consumer behavior also had a statistically significant influence on environmental issues and environmentally friendly actions. Fourth, The results of the mediation analysis indicated that consumer behavior partially mediated the effects of ESG awareness on both environmentally friendly actions and environmental issues. Conclusions These research findings indicate the need for education on ESG awareness to address environmental issues and promote environmentally friendly behaviors. It emphasizes the utmost importance of cultivating habits related to consumer preferences through education. Based on these research results, I aim to propose strategies for enhancing ESG awareness among pre-service early childhood teachers.