Undergraduates’ climate change awareness through physical activity: Self-efficacy as a moderatoris

Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Negeri Surabaya, Indonesia

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Abstract

The challenge of climate change is an issue that must be addressed both now and in the future. Physical activities that are environmentally friendly, such as walking and cycling, are not only beneficial for health but also have the potential to raise awareness about climate change. This study aims to analyze the effect of physical activity on climate change awareness among undergraduate students, with self-efficacy as a moderating factor. This research employed a quantitative approach with 116 students as respondents, selected through purposive sampling. The instruments used measured levels of physical activity, climate change awareness, and self-efficacy, and were analyzed using Moderation Regression Analysis (MRA). The research findings indicate that physical activity is positively correlated with climate change awareness (p = 0.037; R² = 3.8%). Self-efficacy also has a significant positive effect on climate change awareness (p = 0.012). However, as a moderating variable, the interaction between physical activity and self-efficacy yields a negative coefficient with a value approaching significance (p = 0.055). This suggests that high self-efficacy does not always strengthen the influence of physical activity, it can even weaken it. This study contribute for researchers to understanding the factors that shape climate awareness among students.