Environmental degradation in ecologically sensitive regions like the Kashmir Valley threatens its biodiversity and natural landscapes and therefore necessitates a deeper understanding of youth engagement in sustainable practices. This study investigates factors influencing pro-environmental behaviour (PEB) and attitudes toward sustainable development among undergraduate students, as well as the relationship between attitudes and behaviour in environmental protection. Data were collected from 1200 students across 20 government degree colleges in the Kashmir Valley using a convenience sampling method. Findings reveal strong sustainability awareness, with students prioritising environmental protection over unchecked development. Students adopt habitual behaviours like energy and water conservation, but participate less in activism and civic engagement. Recycling and eco-friendly purchasing receive moderate attention, though external barriers such as inadequate facilities and affordability influence engagement. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) confirms a significant relationship between attitudes and PEB, reinforcing the link between attitude towards sustainable development and pro-environmental behaviour. Sociodemographic variables such as gender, academic stream, semester, and residence exhibit statistically significant but mostly small effect sizes, whereas parental education and household income explain minimal variance in pro-environmental behaviour. Academic exposure and progression emerge as more consistent contributors to sustainability-related outcomes than family background characteristics. The study contributes theoretically by extending the Theory of Planned Behaviour-based evidence to an ecologically fragile and under-researched context, and practically by highlighting the need for institutional and experiential sustainability interventions to strengthen the conversion of attitudes into sustained behaviour actions among youth.
Ganie et al. (Sun,) studied this question.