Conserving food, energy, and water at households
U.S. college students’ values, perceptions, and knowledge
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21721171 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Datu Buyung Agusdinata (0000-0003-4537-0446, Arizona State University School of Sustainability, , Tempe, corresponding author), Kim Nguyễn (0000-0002-1729-870X, Arizona State University School of Sustainability, , Tempe), Kim A Nguyen (0000-0002-0738-7450, Arizona State University) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Pages | 1-23 |
| Publication date | 2026-07-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1467-6370 • E-ISSN: 1758-6739 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/ijshe-09-2025-1084 |
| OpenAlex | W7167600866 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 56 |
Purpose This study aims to investigate US college students’ values, perceptions and knowledge regarding the conservation of food, energy and water (FEW) resources at the household level. It aims to understand how students’ environmental identities and beliefs influence attitudes toward resource use and climate change mitigation. Design/methodology/approach A survey of 539 students from multiple US universities was conducted, with 320 respondents completing all sections. The instrument included measures of values and norms derived from the Value–Belief–Norm (VBN) framework, attitudes toward climate change, perceptions of the relative importance of FEW sectors and knowledge of cost-effective conservation actions. Analytical methods included descriptive statistics, the Analytical Hierarchy Process for ranking FEW priorities and analysis of variance tests for differences across resource domains. Findings Students ranked food as the most important FEW sector, while energy was consistently ranked least important. Although students expressed strong pro-environmental values and moral obligation toward conservation, knowledge gaps were evident – particularly in linking water conservation to greenhouse gas reductions. Respondents demonstrated relatively accurate perceptions of cost-effective household actions but underestimated the climate relevance of water-saving behaviors. Practical implications The results highlight opportunities for targeted educational interventions in higher education. Curriculum integration of the FEW nexus, experiential learning and tools such as serious gaming can strengthen students’ systems thinking and address knowledge gaps. Universities can leverage these insights to design programs that connect personal household behaviors to broader sustainability outcomes. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is among the first to apply the FEW nexus lens to US college students’ household behaviors. By combining VBN theory with empirical evidence, it advances understanding of how higher education institutions can foster pro-environmental identities and promote actionable strategies for resource conservation and climate mitigation
Curriculum · Descriptive statistics · Environmental education · Experiential learning · Higher education · Nudge theory · Psychological intervention · Sustainability · Water conservation · Environmental Education and Sustainability · Sustainability in Higher Education · Water-Energy-Food Nexus Studies
The nexus approach to water–energy–food security
The carbon footprint of household energy use in the United States
The Significance of Hedonic Values for Environmentally Relevant Attitudes, Preferences, and Actions
An overview of the engagement of higher education institutions in the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals
Value Orientations to Explain Beliefs Related to Environmental Significant Behavior
The Importance of Environmental Knowledge for Private and Public Sphere Pro-Environmental Behavior
The role of transformation in learning and education for sustainability
Environmental Values
Public perceptions of energy consumption and savings
The value of environmental self-identity
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Models of Decision Making and Residential Energy Use
The role of higher education institutions in sustainability initiatives at the local level
Scaling Up Change
Pro-Environmental Behaviours and Value-Belief-Norm Theory
Food systems are responsible for a third of global anthropogenic GHG emissions
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The climate mitigation gap
Drivers of change in US residential energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, 1990–2015
Applying the food–energy–water nexus concept at the local scale
The role of universities in SDGs solution co-creation and implementation
Towards a circular economy in food consumption
New Environmental Theories
Water Conservation and Culture of Indifference among College Students
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |