Exploring the Role of Sustainability-Oriented Marketing Education in Promoting Consciousness for Sustainable Consumption

Abstract

Scholars have increasingly examined how education influences consciousness for sustainable behaviour, but studies focusing on developing economies are very few, and the role of sustainability-oriented marketing education is currently underexplored. By applying the theory of planned behaviour, this study explores the influence of sustainability-oriented marketing education on students’ consciousness for sustainable consumption. The study is a quantitative research study based on an online survey of marketing students who participated in a training/seminar programme of the National Institute of Marketing of Nigeria. The participants were drawn from three universities across the South-East and South-South zones of the country. SmartPLS structural equation modelling was applied to test the generated data. We find that sustainability-oriented marketing education influences students’ consciousness for sustainable consumption, attitude, subjective norms, and perceived behavioural control. The findings will strengthen marketing education for sustainable development, and they have implications for students’ environmental consciousness in making purchase decisions. The study also brings more insight into marketing education’s role in actualizing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals in Nigeria.