Youth and environmental protection

Abstract

Ecological topics have been the focus of numerous studies in various scientific fields for years. The global problem of waste management is closely related to this topic. A constant increase in waste, which can be linked with mass consumption and economic development, is recorded in Croatia as well. Being observed as a global problem of the entire society, waste disposal can be also look at from an individual's viewpoint who is responsible, after becoming ecologically aware, for reshaping its own behaviour and lifestyle in accordance with ecological values. The subject of the research is the ecological awareness of young people with the general aim of examining young people’s attitudes towards environment and youth awareness of environmental protection, and in order to determine this, it was necessary to determine the lifestyle habits, the frequency of recycling, the ways they contribute to environmental protection, their attitudes about the importance of environmental care and the impact of residents on the environment. Furthermore, an assessment of the citizens level of education on environmental protection was carried out. The online questionnaire included a convenience sample of 480 young people, 154 men and 326 women, in the city of Split, within the range of 18 to 29 years. From the results it is evident that, according to their assessment, the participants are conscientious toward the environment, often recycle paper and plastic, sometimes use eco products and dispose of waste in designated places. They criticize the (lack of) education of other citizens of Split when it comes to ecology, and they are also aware that waste disposal in Split is insufficient. When it comes to attitudes about waste disposal, air pollution and the education of other citizens, young people show that they are aware of the problems in the city Split. The ecological situation significantly affects the quality of life of an individual and society, so the results of this research can be understood within the framework of the set goals and results obtained from the conducted research. We can understand the research results as a guideline for work in the field of environmental awareness and environmental protection. Likewise, the results of the research are guidelines for the implementation of these topics through education and training of young people, but also of other age groups, so that the habits of young people (and citizens) of the city of Split, and accordingly their activities, change toward positive behavior in these areas in the future.