Halfway There: Did We Learn Anything? - Youth Perception of Sustainability and Sustainable Development Goals

Abstract

Purpose – Since 2015, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have represented a unique framework that aims to achieve balance between economic, environmental and social development. In the overall population, young people are playing an important role in a responsible and sustainable future. The year 2023 represents a year halfway through achieving the 17 SDGs, but awareness of this topic among the young population is still low. The main purpose of this research paper is to find out what young people know about sustainability and the SDGs. The main focus of this paper is on young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, aged between 15 and 30 years. Methodology – An online questionnaire was distributed in these two countries and for analysing the data, descriptive statistics and SPSS were used. Findings – According to findings, young people from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia are showing an intermediate level of knowledge. Differences between attitudes and sustainable practices among young people from these two countries are also being detected. Preferable sources of information regarding SDGs are also different, but it is concerning that 1 in 4 respondents from both sample groups are not aware of this topic. Contribution – Until now, there have been frequent studies related to SD and SDGs and young people, but on the territory of these two countries, such studies are not known. This research represents a foundation for future research into the knowledge, attitudes and practices of young people from this part of Europe.