ABSTRACT Soil is one of the most important non‐renewable natural resources, playing a vital role in sustaining humanity. Studies exploring how students perceive soil ecosystem services are considerably scarcer. Therefore, the main objectives of this study are: (i) to understand Portuguese students' perceptions of the importance of different soil ecosystem services; and (ii) to determine the students' willingness to change behaviours to support the future of soil. To achieve these aims, a survey was conducted among third‐cycle and secondary school students attending schools in the metropolitan area of Porto (Portugal). Multiple regression analysis (SMR) was applied to identify the factors that determine students' willingness to change behaviours. The most highly valued ecosystem service is food production. Meanwhile, soil erosion mitigation and carbon sequestration were ranked lowest, with a third of students reporting that they were unaware of the role of soil in these ecosystem services. Students consider their behaviour to have a moderate impact on soil, with only a quarter expressing an intention to change their behaviour. SMR results show that this willingness is positively associated with optimism, fear and satisfaction with the current economic model. These findings could inform education by suggesting changes to curricula and textbooks.
Pinheiro et al. (Fri,) studied this question.
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