What Do Female and Male College Students from Saudi Arabia Think of a Green Economy?

Abstract

The present research surveys the views of a green economy held by Saudi Arabian college students. The economy of their country is in the process of being restructured from one largely based on fossil fuels and their byproducts to one that is knowledge- and service-based. Thus, students are likely to experience cognitive dissonance between resisting change, which would preserve the known benefits of the fossil fuel economy, and embracing change, which is associated with desirable but uncertain economic outcomes. The participants were a convenience sample of 390 undergraduate students of Saudi Arabian descent. During the post-pandemic period, students completed an online survey on their behaviors and attitudes toward a green economy. Students’ responses illustrated cognitive dissonance. Furthermore, favorable views of a green economy remained superficial. Most importantly, views (including attitudes and beliefs) were not good predictors of actions consistent with such views. Students’ contradictory answers stimulated faculty members in the College of Sciences and Human Studies to develop a plan to counteract cognitive dissonance and thus promote in students behaviors consistent with their overall favorable attitudes and beliefs toward a green economy.