Italian Sustainable Living – Survey About Sustainable Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviours Among the Italian Population

Education and knowledge are essential for fostering sustainable living, that will help protect our planet, promote health and socio-economic development. This study investigated sustainable living knowledge and behaviours among the Italian general population. A 40-item questionnaire was created to assess knowledge, awareness and attitudes in 8 domains: house, energy, food, personal care, shopping, transportation, waste, water and other consumption. The questionnaire was distributed online between January and June 2023. A multiple logistic regression model was performed to assess the relationship between all the variables surveyed. Among the 420 people participated (66% female, median age of 39 years), 76% had a higher-level education degree, and 72% had never participated in a sustainability initiative. Knowledge about sustainability was lower in the domains of shopping (70.6%) and transportation (85.0%). The fewest behaviours acted/products used were found in the domains of personal care (31.3%) and transportation (47.8%). Positive associations were found between the use/adoption of sustainable items and knowledge about sustainability (aOR: 1.38, CI: 1.35–1.41), and previous inherent educational activities (aOR: 1.04, CI: 1.03–1.06). Age, region of residence and urbanization context were factors that discontinuously influenced the implementation of the considered items for transportation and food. Improvements are needed to close the gap between knowledge and action, especially in the domain of personal care. A better understanding of the factors that play a role in non-use of transportation will help to develop measures to promote sustainability and societal wellbeing.