Promoting environmental awareness among gen-z in densely populated region. how does social reference matter?

Abstract

Densely populated areas have a high level of waste contributors. Dealing with waste and environmental quality must be challenging for the Zillennial Generation (Gen-Z), who are familiar with fast and instant processes. This study aims to analyze the influence of social references on environmental awareness in Gen-Z in densely populated areas. The research was conducted in Jakarta and Bandung, Indonesia's two most populous areas. The study involved 378 Gen-Z in Jakarta and 420 Gen-Z in Bandung. The method used in this research is a survey method using a questionnaire. The simple linear regression test results show that there is a significant influence of social reference variables on environmental awareness (0,000 < 0,05). The regression equation shows that if the social reference variable increases by one unit, the environmental awareness variable increases by 0,815. Increased social referrals are likely to raise environmental awareness in Gen-Z. Developing youth environmental communities in densely populated regions among Gen-Z needs to be encouraged to increase environmental awareness for the nation's next generation. The government, educators and the private sector need to strengthen the peer group approach to raise the environmental awareness of Gen-Z, which is the largest population category in Indonesia.