The role of green education and social influence in shaping sustainable lifestyle through ecological literacy in urban Indonesia

Abstract

Promoting sustainable lifestyle practices has become an important agenda in environmental education and community engagement. However, limited research has examined how ecological literacy functions as a cognitive mechanism through which green education and social influence shape sustainable lifestyle behavior, particularly in developing country contexts such as Indonesia, where empirical evidence on this mediating process remains scarce. This study addresses this gap by examining the relationships among green education, social influence, ecological literacy, and sustainable lifestyle among specific respondents, namely individuals exposed to sustainability-related educational activities and environmental discussions in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. A quantitative cross-sectional design was applied using survey data from 280 valid respondents selected through purposive sampling, ensuring relevance to sustainability-exposed populations. The analysis employed Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that green education and social influence are positively associated with sustainable lifestyle both directly and indirectly through ecological literacy. Although ecological literacy significantly mediates these relationships, its relatively modest direct effect on sustainable lifestyle suggests that ecological understanding alone may not be sufficient to ensure consistent sustainable behavior, highlighting the persistence of the knowledge–action gap. This study contributes to the literature by providing empirical support for the proposed mediating role of ecological literacy in linking green education and social influence to sustainable lifestyle behavior among respondents in an Indonesian urban context. These findings provide additional empirical support for existing perspectives on sustainability behavior formation, while acknowledging that further longitudinal and multi-context studies are needed to establish the generalizability of this mediating process. The findings underscore the importance of integrating educational initiatives and social engagement strategies to strengthen ecological literacy and promote sustainable lifestyles. However, the cross-sectional design limits causal inference, suggesting future research should adopt longitudinal approaches to capture behavioral dynamics over time.