Analysis of Environmental Awareness Among University Students Through Online Community Participation

Abstract

This study examines the role of online community participation in promoting environmental awareness among students of higher educational institution of Pakistan. With rising environmental challenges, digital platforms have become important in raising discussions, spreading awareness, and inspiring collective action. This research was conducted in higher education institutions of District Charsadda, Pakistan, using a quantitative methodology, where a structured questionnaire was used to assess the relationship between online engagement of students and their environmental awareness. A sample of 374 respondents was selected multistage random sampling method. The findings of the study show a significant positive association between online community participation and environmental awareness. Strong associations were found particularly with factors like community collaboration, effective leadership, influence of social media, and future student involvement, all showing high Tc values (up to 0.56). Multivariate analysis shown gender and age differences, Kendal Tc value for male gender indicated spurious relationship while for female gender found non¬- spurious relationship. The association between online community participation and environmental awareness in context of controlling age of the respondents shows highly significance and weak association for all three age groups. The study highlights the requisite of participating in digital tools, improving community collaboration, and establishing leadership to drive sustainable environmental engagement of citizens. These visions highlight the growing importance of online communities in shaping public attitudes and actions toward environmental protection.