EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN UNIVERSITY STUDENTS’ MEDIA EXPOSURE AND CONSERVATIONAL BEHAVIOR REGARDING WATER SCARCITY ISSUE IN PAKISTAN
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62533/ph3rz303Keywords:
Media exposure, Water Scarcity, Concerns, Efficacy, SDG 6, Conservation BehaviorAbstract
The problem of water scarcity in Pakistan is attributed to; population increase that leads to reduced water availability for household use, over exploitation of the aquifer, limited supply of fresh water, high consumption of water in homes, pollution of water sources and losses of water that could have been put to use. These challenges affect the quality of life, wellbeing of the population and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 6(clean water and sanitation) by 2030. To address these challenges media plays a crucial role in disseminating the news and raising awareness of the severity of water shortage to the public. The study investigated the relationships between university students’ exposure to water scarcity related media content and their water scarcity concerns, efficacy beliefs (with two dimensions: self-efficacy and collective efficacy), and water conservational intentions. A quantitative cross sectional survey design was utilized and data were collected online from 202 university students aged 19-29 using convenience sampling. The data were analyzed using Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings revealed a multimodal media exposure landscape where social media especially Facebook, along interpersonal sources play a dominant role in disseminating water scarcity concern. The results further indicate that media exposure played a central role in influencing water scarcity concerns, self and collective efficacy rather than directly affecting behavior alone. Water scarcity concern emerged as strongest predictor of water conversation behavior. Self Efficacy showed a significant negative relationship with water conservation behavior highlighting a suppression effect and a distinct attitude behavior gap under conditions of high concern. The study highlights the importance of strategic environmental communication in promoting sustainable water conservation behavior among university students.
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