Environmental Awareness–Action Gap: Explaining Heterogeneity in Sustainable Household Behavior

Abstract

Environmental awareness is often considered essential for sustainable household behavior, although awareness does not always translate into everyday practices. This study examines the relationship between environmental awareness and sustainable household behavior in four districts of Sindh, Pakistan. It assesses whether this relationship persists after accounting for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. A quantitative cross-sectional survey included 392 respondents from Kambar Shahdadkot, Mirpur Khas, Sanghar, and Thatta. Data were analyzed using reliability analysis, correlation, linear regression, district comparisons, and an adjusted general linear model. The findings indicate a positive association between environmental awareness and sustainable household behavior. This relationship remained significant after adjustment for demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. Employment status was the only factor significantly associated with differences in reported behavior, while average awareness and behavior did not differ significantly across the four districts. These results suggest that environmental awareness contributes to sustainable household practices but does not fully explain variations in behavior. Promoting household sustainability therefore requires more than raising environmental awareness; practical support and accessible opportunities may also help households adopt sustainable practices. Given the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported data, the findings indicate associations rather than causal relationships.