Title: Scientific media dieting and youth awareness and expectations about the environmental issues of deforestation and species extinction in the Middle East and North America

Authors: Ibrahim Niankara

Addresses: College of Business, Al Ain University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 112612, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Abstract: Relying on bivariate ordered probit regression modelling, the present study focuses on the role that scientific media consumption and cultural differences play in shaping youth's awareness and expectations about the two environmental issues of deforestation and species extinction in the Middle East and North America. We find that compared to their North American counterparts, youth in the Middle East are 14.2% less aware of, and 14.5% less optimistic about the issue of deforestation, while 38.9% less aware of, and 59.0% less optimistic about the issue of species extinction. In addition, we find that science club attendance and broad science reading in books are the two most effective communication media for raising youth's awareness about the two environmental issues. Furthermore, each level increase in youth's awareness is found to raise their optimism by 20.4% for the issue of deforestation, and 15.0% for the issue of species extinction, suggesting that effective youth based communication strategies could assist with sustainability and conservation efforts in those two regions.

Keywords: deforestation; environmental awareness; scientific media consumption; sustainable development; species extinction; Middle East; North America.

DOI: 10.1504/WRSTSD.2019.102116

World Review of Science, Technology and Sustainable Development, 2019 Vol.15 No.3, pp.252 - 282

Received: 26 Jan 2019
Accepted: 08 Apr 2019
Published online: 06 Sep 2019 *

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