Climate Change Risk Perception among Agriculture Students: the Role of Knowledge, Environmental Attitude, and Belief in Happening

Climate change has arisen due to enhanced greenhouse effect, as a result of human activities and lifestyle. Mitigation of greenhouse gases is dependent on climate change risk perception. Therefore, the present study aimed to provide a conceptual model to determine risk perception and explore whether knowledge about causes and consequences of climate change influence individuals’ environmental attitudes, beliefs in the happening of climate change, and risk perception. The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey. The study sample consisted of 320 undergraduate students who were selected through random sampling. Structural Equation modeling showed that the relationship between knowledge of causes and consequences and risk perception was mediated by environmental attitude and beliefs. Respondents with higher knowledge about the causes and consequences of climate change are significantly more likely to consider climate change as a risk. Knowledge of causes and consequences has a direct effect on the belief that climate change is happening and on environmental attitude, and indirect effect on risk perception. Environmental attitude and belief have a significantly positive effect on risk perception. The suggested model could account for about half of the variance (49%) in risk perception. The results showed that the suggested framework is an effective tool for the prediction of risk perception.