Environmental Awareness and Food Waste Reduction Among Generation Z in Indonesia

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the effect of environmental awareness on attitudes and intentions to reduce food waste, as well as the impact of intention to reduce food waste on behavior to reduce food waste among Generation Z in Indonesia. Given this generation's critical role in shaping sustainable practices for the future, understanding their attitudes and behaviors toward food waste is vital. By addressing this gap in the literature, the research aims to contribute to more effective strategies for promoting environmentally conscious behaviors among Gen Z, ultimately leading to a reduction in food waste and its associated environmental impacts. This study applies the convenience sampling technique. The questionnaires were distributed online via a google form. The respondents came from several big cities on the island of Java, such as Jakarta, Tangerang City, South Tangerang City, Bekasi City, Depok, Bogor City, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Semarang, and Surabaya. The total population on the island of Java is 151.6 million, which means 55 percent of Indonesia's 273.5 million total population. The total sample collected and analyzed in this study was 1,000 samples. The study's results prove that environmental awareness has a positive and significant effect on attitude (the T-statistics value of 14,286 > 1.96, and the p-value is 0.00 < 0.05) and intention to reduce food waste (the T-statistics value of 3.845 > 1.96 and the p-value is 0.00 < 0.05). Then, the attitude was also proven to have a positive and significant effect on the intention to reduce food waste (the T-statistics value of 11.579 > 1.96, and the p-value is 0.00 < 0.05). Finally, the intention to reduce food waste is proven to have a positive and significant effect on behavior to reduce food waste (the T-statistics value was 14,000 > 1.96, and the p-value was 0.00 < 0.05). This study contributes to the literature by investigating the relationship between environmental awareness, attitudes, intentions, and behavior toward food waste reduction among Gen Z in Indonesia. The findings highlight environmental awareness's positive and significant effects on attitudes, intentions, and subsequent behaviors to reduce food waste, providing valuable insights for developing targeted interventions and campaigns to promote sustainable practices among Gen Z.