The effect of personality traits and attitudes on intention to recycle : a study among University students

Abstract

Environmental awareness, which is often manifested through waste recycling, has been a matter of concern for quite some time, both globally and locally. Individuals react differently to forms of waste recycling, due, amongst other things, to their personality traits (PT) extraversion, agreeableness, emotionally stable, dependable and open to experience, as well as their beliefs, social norms, experiences and attitudes (ATTDs), which differ among individuals. This study’s aim was to better understand a community of 250 Maltese students’ intentions towards recycling (RI), attending the University of Malta. Moreover, the main variables that affect a student’s RI; ATTDs and PTs, were analysed to better understand how these variables may affect students’ intentions to recycle their waste. Furthermore, from the data obtained in this study, through the online distributed instrument, it was found that attitudes have a positive effect on a student’s RI, whereas none of the PTs had an effect. Moreover, this calls for the need of further research on PT and a student’s RI.