A new study examined university students’ green mindset.
Why do young people not choose environmentally conscious solutions when they consider sustainability important? The answer is not simply money or knowledge – it is much more a question of attitude. An online questionnaire survey involving more than five hundred university students in Budapest and the countryside mapped young people’s green mindset and practices.
According to their own statements, the majority of students lead a “rather” environmentally conscious lifestyle, while only 7 percent feel that they actually live in a very environmentally friendly way. Even more telling is that university students consider only a narrower interpretation of sustainability, directly related to environmental protection, to be relevant: eight out of ten consider resource management and renewable energy to be basic elements of the concept, while, for example, fair trade or the humane design of the workplace environment are considered part of it by only a few.
According to the survey, a significant proportion of young people believe that environmental protection is important, but the results do not depend on them. The responses also revealed that many do not feel motivated to develop a truly sustainable lifestyle without social reinforcement and the example of others. Students expect credible, genuine actions – whether from companies, universities, or influencers. Superficial measures and empty green campaigns (“greenwashing”), however, seem increasingly less acceptable to them.
The most annoying phenomena
86 percent of students answered the question of what environmentally harmful behavior they find the most annoying. Most of them – half of all respondents – named littering as such an action. This was far ahead of wastefulness (6 percent), waste management problems (5 percent), or industrial pollution (4 percent). Based on the responses, young people are primarily sensitive to directly visible, everyday violations, while large, systemic problems are pushed further into the background in their eyes.
It doesn’t depend on me – it just annoys me
A relative majority of university students believe that if more people took it seriously, cooperation on the issue would be more effective. More than a quarter of respondents stated that sustainability is important, but the outcome does not depend on their actions. This attitude was particularly pronounced among younger men in Budapest studying engineering or IT. Based on the sample, it seems that the less environmentally conscious a person’s lifestyle is, the more likely they are to absolve themselves of responsibility. The “I alone am not enough for this” type of thinking still serves as self-justification for more passive behavior for many. A significant proportion of them primarily lack external (social) reinforcement to develop a more environmentally conscious lifestyle more deeply. Fortunately, despite all this, only one student out of 100 stated that they believe their lifestyle cannot be considered sustainable at all.
A positive result is that 79 percent of the young people surveyed collect waste selectively, and 76 percent try to reduce their water consumption – these have now become automatic habits.
They separate waste, but few look at the packaging
The research shows that almost nine out of every ten respondents consider it important to be able to purchase sustainable products. At the same time, conscious purchasing decisions have not yet become part of the daily routine: only 16 percent regularly check sustainability labels on product labels, while 42 percent already pay attention to buying durable clothing. Interestingly, most respondents see precisely this as an area for further opportunities to expand sustainability, meaning they consider deepening awareness to be the most important additional task. When asked what else they could do for sustainability, 85 percent of respondents answered, and most of them identified conscious purchasing (34 percent), followed by selective waste collection (one in ten university students), while roughly the same proportion mentioned further promoting awareness and encouraging others to pay attention.
Few follow green influencers
The creators of the survey were also curious about how much young people follow online promoters of green thinking. It turned out that 46 percent of respondents follow some kind of influencer, but only 12 percent follow one who also deals with environmental protection. The most frequently mentioned opinion leader was Vászonzsákoslány (Éva Antal), named by nearly a quarter of those who follow green influencers. Interestingly, Greta Thunberg received only five mentions.
Did you know? They are the most influential Hungarian green influencers:
- Péter Szebenyi, environmental engineer and the face of the JÖN Foundation and the Hulladékvadász movement, is one of the most active green educators on TikTok, with 165,000 followers. In his short videos, he covers a wide range of topics, from selective waste collection to reports from residents.
- Vászonzsákoslány, also known as Éva Antal, is Hungary’s best-known representative of packaging-free shopping and the zero-waste lifestyle. Her Instagram page has 30,000 followers, she also holds live workshops, and according to the research, she is the best-known green influencer among students.
- Peti Puskás-Dallos, although coming from a music and television career, has become an advocate for the vegan lifestyle, tree planting, sustainable transportation, and conscious shopping in recent years. With 230,000 Instagram followers, he is the “mainstream green voice” with the largest reach.
- Daisy Bukovicsné Békefi, author of the Greens of Daisy page, has already reached 160,000 followers on Instagram with her content about herbs, decluttering, and recycling – making her one of Hungary’s largest “green lifestyle” influencers.
- Eszter Mengyán, founder of the Holy Duck! blog, is considered an influential opinion leader on sustainable fashion. With her capsule wardrobe challenges, she mobilizes a community of tens of thousands, mainly on Instagram and Facebook.
Women and older people are more conscious – men are more skeptical
There are differences between the sexes when it comes to sustainability. 86 percent of women consider sustainability aspects important when shopping, compared to only 72 percent of men. Women are twice as likely to associate fair trade (39 percent vs. 26 percent) and a humane workplace environment (42 percent vs. 22 percent) with the concept of sustainability. This association is assumed by an increasing proportion as age increases: while 23 percent of those aged 20 or younger classify this element under the concept of sustainability, 42 percent of those aged 26 or older do so. Women also purchase sustainable products at a higher rate and are more willing to pay more for them, and they are also more likely to follow influencers on environmental topics. Among men, the possibility of future recycling is more decisive, while women pay more attention to current practices.
Manufacturers should produce more durable products
Respondents also shared their opinions on who should deal with sustainability. According to 87 percent of young people, everyone has a role in this issue. Most named the government (31 percent), followed by companies (26 percent), while far fewer named consumers (10 percent), schools (8 percent), or civil organizations (4 percent).
Students also have expectations towards manufacturers. 81 percent of respondents expressed some specific sustainability or environmental expectation regarding manufacturing companies: for example, that they should manufacture recyclable products (22 percent), produce environmentally friendly products (21 percent), and market durable products (21 percent).
The majority of research participants, 77 percent, expect universities to lead by example in sustainability issues.
About the survey
The data collection period of the research was in March and April 2025, and a total of 551 university students were surveyed using an online questionnaire. Participants came from a nationwide sample, from different fields of study and life situations. The research was conducted by UNIside Kft. and Siemens Zrt.